Noogler
by Cloudcity'sBookworm
Summary: Sophia White, an Information Technology major, has been accepted as an intern for Google. When the time comes to choose teams, she finds herself among the outcasts. Unfortunately, even her own teammates don't want each other. With the promise of only one team being accepted as full-time employees, they'll have to work together or fail before the program even ends.
1. Welcome to Google

**Hello! Welcome to my first _Internship _****fanfiction. This story has been in my head for the last few months, so I figured it was time it saw the light of day. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own _The Internship_, its story, plot, or characters. I only own my OFC and any characters mentioned who are not canon.**

* * *

Sophia White never thought that something as amazing as this would ever happen to her in a million years; yet here she was. Standing outside of the bus that had picked her up from the airport, the young woman couldn't help but stare at the most amazing building she'd ever laid her sight upon: _the_ Google headquarters.

To be honest, Sophia didn't know that such a place existed four months ago. Well, other than the fact that her cousin worked for Google for the past six years, but it never clicked in the twenty-year-old's mind that said cousin worked _at_ Google.

In fact, she still would have been a pathetic college girl spending the summer with her parents in Salem, Oregon, searching for a job opportunity to look forward to when she graduated next June if it wasn't for her now most favorite person in the world.

It was during the big, annual White Christmas (no pun intended) family party when April, Sophia's cousin, heard how Sophia was still looking for a job. April, having known that Sophia's major was in Information Technology, informed her about a program that Google did during the summer: an internship that could lead to a full-time job at the company.

It seemed too good to be true, but April had captured Sophia's attention.

Long story short, Sophia applied when it was available, made it through her interview via Skype, got accepted, and the rest was history.

Sophia was so entranced with the scenery that she practically jumped out of her skin when someone said in an aggravated tone, "Hey, are you going to move or what?"

Blushing in embarrassment, Sophia apologized before shifting the strap of her side bag and making her way towards the entrance.

On the journey towards her future, Sophia noticed all the quirky and strange things she'd never seen before in her life - like a car that didn't need to be driven and a bike-like mobile which reminded her of a toy that she and her classmates use to play on during recess. Everything Sophia saw made her stare in awe as she walked down the concrete path, almost bumping into multiple people in the process.

Once inside, Sophia's eyes and open mouth became even wider as she took in her surroundings. The room was open and full of light, giving off the normal business vibe, but everything else was so different in contrast. People were busy hustling and bustling about - some on foot and some on scooter. A plane hung from the ceiling, and a giant slide that looked like it had come straight out of a posh McDonald's Playland was near the stairs.

All-in-all, Sophia felt like she was in an interactive museum for young-at-heart grown ups.

_Lord, please let them hire me_, prayed Sophia, blue eyes gazing up at the white ceiling.

Glancing around the room, Sophia noticed a café. Smiling, Sophia made her way to her new destination for a quick breakfast (she hadn't eaten since yesterday evening). When it was her turn to order, Sophia said, "May I have an iced mocha and a blueberry muffin, please?"

"Sure," said the boy behind the counter, giving Sophia a quick grin before telling the others what she'd requested. When the food was in hand, the boy handed it to her. "Here's your order."

"Wait, what's the price?" asked Sophia as she began to search her bag for her well-worn wallet.

"I'm sorry?"

"Money. How much money do I have to pay you?"

"Oh, everything's free," replied the boy.

"Really?" asked Sophia, not believing what she'd heard.

"Your food's free. Everything's free."

Free. Everything. Oh, Sophia loved hearing those two words.

Taking her coffee and pastry, Sophia gave a beaming grin. "This is perfect! Thank you."

"No problem."

As Sophia left, she sent out another prayer. _Please, oh, please, let them hire me!_

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

Standing in the room she was directed to, Sophia found herself looking out into a sea of young adults like her, all hoping for the same thing she was. If Sophia was being honest (and she would be if someone had asked her), the main reason why she wanted to be hired in was so she could act like a kid. Of course, work is work and what needs to be done needs to be done, but that didn't stop the feeling Sophia had whenever she thought about the work environment.

Wanting to get to know people a little more, Sophia went up to the first group of people she saw. "Hi," said Sophia, interrupting the group of four's conversation. "I'm Sophia White."

They continued to stare at Sophia as she shifted her gaze between them.

_Well, this is more awkward than I expected. _

Still wanting to have a conversation, Sophia began playing with the propeller hat she was given when she'd checked in. "Aren't these things cool? My brother had one when he was little. I use to take it from him _all_ the time."

"They're ridiculous. I don't want to wear mine," said a dark-haired girl, hazel eyes full of annoyance.

"Oh. Well, I thought that everyone liked them."

"Not everyone has the same interests," said a tall, blonde male.

"Of course not. No one likes a cookie cutter, right?"

When no one answered, Sophia felt defeated. Resisting a sigh, Sophia grinned at the unwelcoming group. "Well, it was nice talking to you guys." Turning away from her failed attempt to get to know people, Sophia made a beeline for the floor.

_Well, that was a total success_, Sophia sarcastically thought.

Upon reaching the ground, Sophia noticed two men old enough to be her uncles standing by a table which held coffee, both of them sharing a conversation.

Should she or should she not? The last time she tried to have a chat she was treated like an ignorant, snot-nose kid who wanted to know what the big kids were talking about. That was the last thing she wanted to experience.

After a moment's hesitation, Sophia took a deep breath and strolled up to the duo. "Hello!" she cheerfully said, gaining the attention of both men. "I'm, ah, an intern." Sophia glanced at the hats which sat upon their heads, both identical to hers. "Guess you're interns, too."

One of the men, the blonde one, turned to the taller male and said, "See?! We're too old for this. These kids think we run this program!"

The blonde's friend, who was giving him a look which read, 'patience, grasshopper' said, "Give it time. We're just as new to them as they are to us." Looking now at Sophia, the tall one gave her a small smile. "We had an incident shortly before you arrived."

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to. . . ." Sophia took a breath in, then let it out. "If you think I'm trying to brown-nose you, I'm not. I just saw you and figured the two of you were nice enough to share a conversation with."

As Sophia turned to leave, one of them stopped her with, "It's fine. We're just as lost as you are, actually." When Sophia faced them again, the one who spoke said, "I'm Nick, and this is my friend, Billy."

Sophia, relieved that someone was actually talking to her, smiled. "My name's Sophia."

"Sophia. Wow," said Billy, grabbing ahold of her hand in a firm, yet loose, grip and shook it. "It's great to meet you. How long have you been here?"

It was amazing. Billy had made her feel completely comfortable, at ease, less nervous about what her future may hold. She felt like she was being welcomed by a friend. Feeling relaxed, Sophia gave her answer. "Not long. Ten, fifteen minutes at most. You?"

"About the same," said Nick.

"Everyone. Please take a seat," called a heavily accented voice, putting an end to any and all conversation.

Once the interns had found a place to sit and had quieted down, the man continued speaking. "My name is Roger Chetty, and _I _am head of the Google Intern Program. Welcome to Google. This will not be your average internship." Well, obviously. Not many businesses were like a children's amusement park. "Oh, no. _You _will do what we do. And _we _will watch how _well _you do it."

Sophia had to suppress a spurt of laughter. To cover it up, she placed a closed fist in front of her mouth, put a mute button on her chuckles, and bit her lip to hide an amused grin. She needed to get her head out of the gutter if she wanted to focus.

"Now, you represent the finest schools."

_Yeah! Go, UO! _

"Your intelligence, your achievements is well noted, but to excel in this internship you're going to need far more than brain power. What you're going to need. . . is _googliness."_

The room roared with laughter.

_Googliness_. Sophia was going to have to use that more often in her daily vocab.

"Nothing funny," Mr. Chetty said, tone and appearance serious, strict.

That shut everyone up.

"_Googliness: _the intangible stuff that made a _search engine _into an engine for _change. _Now, you'll be divided into teams. By the end of the summer, only _one _team," - Mr. Chetty held up a finger, adding emphasis to the statement. Sophia held her breath - "will be guaranteed a full-time position. The other ninety-five percent of you will not.

"Now, you've been split up into several seminars to acquaint you with our temperance and culture. The seminar descriptions have been emailed to each of you. I would wish you luck, but it's not luck that you'll need. Get to work!"

And with that, the interns began checking or re-checking their email via smart phone, departing the room like it had been set on fire. Sophia, preferring to wait until a good amount of the crowd had dispersed, awaited her turn, checking her iPhone as she did so. As promised, the seminar descriptions had been sent. She did a quick scan of the email before getting up and taking the next few steps into the next chapter of her life.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

The first seminar that Sophia went to was one of the most awkward slash embarrassing experiences of her life.

It all started when the two men, Billy and Nick, she'd talked to earlier entered the small room. Having seen them and them her, Sophia raised her hand and gave a wave and a smile before looking straight ahead, waiting for the start of the lesson. Sophia sighed in relief when Mr. Chetty, the leader of the seminar, got up from his place and began the session.

"Now, I recognize Google is not a conventional work place. Having said that, we have rules. I'm going to ask you a series of questions. You're going to raise the _green _paddle to indicate _yes_, and the _red _paddle to indicate _no."_

_Okay. Seems simple enough._

"So, let's begin." Mr. Chetty hit a button on the remote he held in his hand. The screen, which read Workplace Seminar, faded away to reveal the first question. "Having a beer with your boss?"

_Pish, yeah. You can have a beer with your boss._

Sophia raised her green paddle. The look she received from Mr. Chetty, however, told her otherwise. After blinking her eyes, Sophia looked around the room. The other interns were holding up the red paddle. . . . Well, every one except two (not including Sophia).

"Some of you," - Mr. Chetty nodded his head towards Billy and Nick - "are under twenty-one. While one of you," - he now referred to Sophia - "is a bit behind in their social skills."

While Sophia bit her lip, Billy decided that now was the time to speak up. "Some of us aren't under twenty-one. So, if you want to grab a cold one with me, we can do that."

"I will not be grabbing a 'cold one' with you."

"Get high?"

"I don't get high."

"Okay. I'm not judging, I'm just saying people do it. Like Miss Sophia over there."

Sophia felt everyone staring at her.

"Yes. Well, obviously 'Miss Sophia' is disconnected from the modern world. Now, next question." Mr. Chetty pressed the same button he used for the previous question. "Dating a fellow intern?"

Sophia, having already seen some male interns whom she thought were attractive, held up her green paddle. She didn't have to look to know she'd chosen the complete opposite of what she should have. The young woman felt blood rush up to her cheeks.

"This is _Google. _Not Match dot-com."

"Chetty?" said Nick, stopping him from moving on to the next slide.

As he asked if already members of the Google staff were off limit or not, Sophia couldn't help but hide her face in her palm. Yes, she stood by her answers and what she believed, but dang, this was just a nightmare. How was she going to get a job if she didn't understand the company's policies? And, more importantly, since when was it not acceptable to hang out with your boss on occasion? Oh, right. Since now.

"Now," said Mr. Chetty, bringing Sophia back to reality. "Taking food home from the office?"

Green. Nope. Should have went with red.

"I expect Mr. McMahon and Mr. Campbell to have some difficulties, Miss White. But you?" Mr. Chetty stood in front on Sophia, close, but not _too_ close for comfort. "Are you having problems?"

"Um, no, sir. I'm just. . . . Slowly learning what the rules are. And a little confused."

"Confused, how?"

"Well, ah, I just don't see what's so bad about hanging out with your boss once in a blue moon or dating a fellow worker or taking something home, like a cookie."

"Well, let me elaborate this for you, Miss White: If you don't learn our company's rules as soon as possible, it's possible that you might not earn a position here. Have I been perfectly clear?"

Sophia, who knew that everyone was watching her for sure, brought her eyes to her lap and held up the red paddle she'd been given minutes ago.

"Good." Looking at the row where Billy and Nick sat, Mr. Chetty asked, "Is it clear to both of you, as well?"

In response, both of them followed Sophia's lead and held up their red paddles.

"Very good. Ladies and gentlemen, that is all."

More than ready to leave, Sophia grabbed her things and booked it for the exit. This day, which had started off so great, was slowly becoming one of the worst days of her short young adult life.

* * *

**That's it! Until next time, see you later :)**

**~Edited 07/16/14~**


	2. Team Lyle

"_So, tell me how it went."_

"I'd really rather not talk about it, Mom," said Sophia, cell resting between her left ear and shoulder, a tube of toothpaste in one hand, a tooth brush in the other.

"_Oh, no. Want to tell me what happened?" _asked Mom, tone full of concern.

"Not really, no," said Sophia, mouth full of paste. She spat into the sink, rinsed her mouth, then wiped her face.

"_Sophia. Do you _really_ have to brush your teeth while talking to me?" _Her voice was heavily laced with disgust, not approving of Sophia's decisions.

The young adult rolled her eyes. "Of course not, Mother. Why would I _ever_ do such a thing to someone as sweet and innocent as you?"

As she pulled her electric blue and hot pink hair up into a messy bun, her mother warned, "_Don't use that attitude with me, Sophia Grace._"

"Sorry. Long, frustrating day," Sophia apologized.

When she left her temporary apartment's tiny bathroom, padding across the wooden floorboards towards her bed, she heard her mother give a great, heavy sigh as if to say, 'what am I going to do with you?' "_No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yipped at you_." Sophia heard her mom readjust her hold on the phone she was using. "_You sure you don't want to talk about your day? I promise I won't tell anyone._"

A groan came from Sophia's bed springs when she plopped down upon it, legs crossed Indian style. "Well. . . I, um, no one seemed to like me. I might have also made a bad first impression with basically everyone there."

"_W__hat could you have possibly done to leave a 'bad' first impression on your fellow interns and workers?"_

"By being me," answered Sophia, mater-of-factly, not missing a single beat.

"_What's so bad about being you, Soph?" _

Sophia could picture her mother's raised eyebrows, face twisted in confusion as she tried to understand what could be so wrong with that.

"Not everyone can handle me, Mom. Sometimes even you can't handle me. Come to think of it, neither can I," said Sophia as she rubbed her hand on the back of her head.

It was true. Her personality and tastes had always been more than most could handle. Like how she always drew a top hat and bowtie wearing chipmunk on every piece of paper she found or even how she would dance in public if it began to rain.

"_Oh, honey. You're right. You _are _a handful, but I love you just the way you are. If no one else at Google sees how amazing of a woman you are, it's their loss. The company would be lucky to have you."_

The corner of Sophia's lips began to twitch into a grin. Her mom was amazing. Her little pep talk was more than needed, but Sophia knew that it would take more than a nose pierce and a different output on life to be hired in as a full-time employee of Google. "Thanks, Mom." Glancing at the time, Sophia said, "It's getting late. I think I'm going to settle in for the night. Talk to you later?"

"_Of course. Love you, sweetheart."_

"Love you, too." And with that, she hung up.

Dropping her cell next to her thigh, Sophia laid on her back and stared at the ceiling. She knew her mother meant well, and even though they didn't have as much of an effect on Sophia as Mom had intended, the words she'd used encouraged the down girl.

_What am I doing here? Why did I ever think I could do this?_

Releasing a sigh, Sophia turned off the lights, rolled onto her side, and closed her eyes, more than ready to surrender to temporary death.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

The following day, Sophia didn't bother to even think about talking to people. Instead, she found the furthest most corner seat she saw and hid away while taking out the book she'd placed in her side bag. Her plan was to appear shut-off, uninterested. Luckily for her, no one seemed to care or even notice her.

_Good._

Even though it killed her, Sophia knew that she wasn't the one that people would think of when it was time to form teams. Back home, she was usually among the final few who would be chosen during gym class. Not many people thought she was worth their time, either. But, then again, after years of rejection, Sophia was kind of use to it.

For the following ten minutes, people began filing in, immediately striking up conversations with some of the interns they'd talked with the previous day. All the while, Sophia continued to pretend that no one else existed, sipped her orange juice, nibbled on her granola bar, and turned the page of her novel.

The sound of static drew in Sophia's attention. Glancing towards the front of the room, the young woman noticed a tall, dark-skinned man wearing a red polo. A microphone was in his hand and his face beamed with an excited smile as he asked everyone to take a seat. Sophia closed her book, slid it back into her bag, placed her elbows on her kneecaps, and rested her chin on top of her palms, ears peeled and eyes opened as she waited for him to continue speaking.

"Welcome to day two! I am Sid, eight year googler, and _you _guys are _new _googlers, thus you're _nooglers!"_

Unlike Mr. Chetty, Sid laughed with the interns. Sophia liked him way more than she did Mr. Chetty.

"Okay. Now, this place is all about community and collaboration, so you'll be working in teams from here on out."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, an annoyed Mr. Robert Chetty left his seat, snatching the mic out of Sid's hold. Sophia's eyebrows dropped downwards. She disliked Mr. Chetty even more with each passing second.

"You have five minutes. Pick your teams," he told the interns, sending them into a flurry.

Sophia watched as her peers hurried to find groups, eager to find people they liked and even more desperate to not be picked last. No one liked being among the unwanted. The twenty-one-year-old didn't want to be picked last, but she knew she shouldn't get her hopes up. No one wanted to be around her yesterday (other than Billy and Nick, and they only talked to her for a minute or two).

Slinging her bag on to her shoulder, Sophia began the search, asking anyone and everyone she saw if they wanted to team up. As expected, they all declined. Before she knew it, everyone seemed to have already found their own teams, leaving Sophia and five other people on their own.

Sophia titled her head. Does this mean that these people, these misfits, were her teammates?

Gathering what courage she had, Sophia wandered up to the girl who sat alone, face downcast, kicking one of her feet back-and-forth. "Hi. I'm Sophia," she said once she stood next to the girl. "Couldn't find a group, either?"

The girl, who looked like she was sweet, gave Sophia the once over, face twisted in disgust. "Seriously? I have to be a part of _your_ team?"

Sophia's face fell. Well, so much for that.

Not wanting to deal with the girl's attitude, Sophia moved to the end of the long bench and plopped down upon it. This was just perfect. If the people who were left out didn't want her, what chance did she have at making it?

As she rubbed her face with her hands, Sophia heard someone a little older than her say, "Correction. You didn't have a team, _but you got one now, son. _'Cause I got a few outliers. _Kerbam! __Kerplash!_ _Zhyah! __Zhow! _And we about to get all good up in this hood, right?"

Sophia brought her face away from her palms. As thought, the boy who'd spoken looked about two or three years older than her.

_He's trying too hard._

Was this the mentor she'd have to deal with all summer? Probably, considering he was talking to Billy and Nick who, like her and the other three, didn't appear to be a part of a team.

"But let's get a team meeting going, everybody!" he exclaimed, cheerfully, clapping his hands together. "Come on! Team meeting time! Wonder twin powers activate!"

Taking this as the signal to follow him, Sophia got up from where she sat and started taking long strides in order to catch up with her team leader.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

Excess pillows always annoyed Sophia like no one's business. When she was little, her mom would usually find her taking pillows off of furniture if there was more than two on said object. Needless to say, it led to a lot of interesting situations with store managers. So when the couch she was about to sit on held four pillows, a part of her twitched at the sight that met her eyes.

The wheels in Sophia's brain turned as she took the extra pillows off of the cushions and placed them beneath the red sofa.

Those who were already in the room gave Sophia weird looks, but she didn't mind. She'd rather be one-hundred-percent focused on the task at hand than be distracted by something as stupid as the number of pillows on furniture.

Once set, Sophia plopped down upon her seat, her body posture relaxed to the point of resembling man. On her right sat a boy who wore a beanie, a pair of thick, black glasses, and held a cell phone in his large hand, attention totally focused on the tiny machine. In front of Sophia sat Billy, Nick at his right. Both men were talking about what had happened and how they should handle the situation they were in. Luckily, the girl Sophia had tried talking to earlier sat in a chair far away from her. Another boy, who was of Asian decent, sat opposite of the girl. The poor kid looked nervous out of his wits.

Thankfully, their team leader entered the room before the atmosphere became even more awkward than it already was.

"Alright. Let's get some meeting, greeting up in this cheesy. I'm Lyle, and it's pretty much wizzywig. What you see is what you get. Been here at the Goog for. . . four years, working on. . . seven progies in estomomento."

Yep. Sophia was going to stand by her theory: Lyle was trying too hard.

"Wow. _Seven _projects?" said Nick, truly amazed by Lyle's words.

"Yep. They asks and I dos it. What can I say? I'm a people pleaser, especially with the ladies. So, it's all good in Lyle's hood, y'all. Word?"

"Ah, yeah. Is Lyle always going to be referring to himself in the third person? 'Cause if he is, I'm going to punch Lyle in the face," said the boy who sat next to Sophia.

"Okay. Tough, but fair. Good note. Lyle's still a little nervous. Sh- Lyle's a first time manager. . . . I'm going to stop doing that," vowed Lyle. "Going to cut it out. Keep it to first and second person." After clapping his hands together, Lyle said, "Okay. Who's next?"

As Lyle took a seat, the Asian boy stood from his to introduce himself. He raised his hand in greeting before continuing on. "My name is Yo-Yo Santos."

"Yo-Yo. How about a high-five!" When Billy raised his hand to get some skin, Yo-Yo flinched, as if he thought the older man would hit him. "Whoa!" said Billy and Nick in unison. "Yo, Yo-Yo, buddy. I come in peace," promised Billy.

"Yo-Yo. Did you get beat up a lot in school?" asked Nick, tone full of concern and sincerity.

"I was home-schooled by my mom," admitted Yo-Yo.

"Did you get beat up a lot in home-school?" asked Billy.

"Well, discipline is an important part of growth, but my mother was actually very nurturing," explained Yo-Yo. "For example, she use to provide me the milk of her bosom until I was seven years old."

At this fact, Sophia's eyes bulged out of her head. _Seven? _Her mom winged her off of breast milk around age one. Seven was a bit extreme in Sophia's book.

"So it's like, ah, you're tying your shoe, you're climbing trees, you're blowing up fireworks you got, and then you're right on mom; you've got mouth on mom?"

"Breast feeding leads to a higher I.Q."

"Okay," said Billy, nodding his head, ready to drop the subject and move on.

"Actually, the science isn't quite definitive on that," said Nick, defending bottle fed infants. "I was bottle fed, and it never slowed me down. Vitamins are vitamins whether they come from a teat _or _a baba."

"Wrong," said Beanie Boy without looking away from his cell.

"Sorry. What was that?" asked Nick, not sure if he'd heard Beanie Boy correctly or not.

Beanie Boy tore his eyes away from his phone to look at Nick. "The 'teat or baba' thing, it's wrong. I just Googled it, so it's wrong."

When he noticed that the other occupants of the room were now staring at him, Beanie Boy said, "Oh, yeah. I'm Stuart."

"Oh, pleasure to meet you, Stuart. But you can't trust everything you read on the-"

"The _Journal of the American Medical_ _Association_? It sounds pretty trustworthy. It says that breast milk has more nutrients and that those nutrients are more easily digested and absorbed," was Stuart's response. "You know, your confusion is understandable since you were bottle fed."

_Ouch. Major burn._

"He's right. That's right," agreed Yo-Yo, satisfied with how his argument was well defended and proven right.

"Whoa! Guys. Where's all this hostility coming from?" asked Billy, trying to figure out what the problem was.

"From the deepest and darkest pits of their hearts," replied Sophia as she examined her nails.

"Where do you think, you freaks? Two-sixths of our team are two old guys who don't know squat and one of us looks like she lives in Hot Topic."

"_Excuse_ me? At least I'm not being a-"

"Okay! Who's next?" chirped Lyle, interrupting the argument brewing between Stuart and Sophia.

As the other girl got up from her seat to speak, Stuart and Sophia continued glaring at each other, eyes narrowed, hostile tension settling around them like an electric storm.

"Well, I for one am very happy to have. . . two, strapping, mature gentlemen on our team," said the girl, earning a 'thank you' from Nick. "Oh, I'm, ah, Neha Patel. And oh, my gosh, you two would make the _best_ Luke and Han."

"Excuse me?" said a confused Nick.

The older man's response to Neha's statement was enough to tear Sophia away from the staring contest she and Stuart held. "You don't know who they are?" asked Sophia, shocked.

"No. Should we?"

"Um, yeah. Considering they're two of the most important characters in _Star Wars_. I thought you'd know who they are, considering the movie came out around your time. You know, Yoda, Darth Vader, R2D2, light sabers. Ring any bells?"

"Sorry. No."

Sophia shook her head. She had pity for the poor fools. "Teach you, I must," Sophia said, giving the best Yoda imitation she could muster.

This earned a chuckle from Lyle.

"I was actually thinking along the line of cosplay," said Neha, trying to earn back her teammates' attention.

"Cosplay?" asked Billy.

"Costume play. It's when you dress up as characters from your favorite show, comic book, movie. Basically anything you can think of. It's really popular for conventions, like Comic Con," explained Sophia, earning a death glare from Neha. Sophia sent one that read, 'what's your issue?'

"But work-wise, your 'skills' aren't really relevant here or anywhere in this millennium, so stay out of our way. We're going to do this crap on our own." And with that, Neha gave her best bitch-smile and sat down like a giddy little girl.

"Okay. I'm sorry that you're pissed you weren't picked by anyone, but gosh, Neha. Get over yourself. These 'old men' are on our team and deserve to be treated as such, so get use to it," said Sophia, voice dripping with irritation.

If looks could kill, Sophia would be dead.

"And who exactly are you?" she spat, eager to tear into Sophia's neck.

"Me? _I _am Sophia White. Information Technology major, defender of old men, and the one who holds the ring which rules all," answered Sophia, a cocky smirk on her face, right hand held in the air to display the cheap model Ring she wore on her ring finger.

Everyone had different reactions to Sophia's statement. Some were amused, some unsure what to think, and at least one of them (Neha) looked like they wanted to smite her. Nick sent the young woman a look of thanks before introducing himself and Billy.

"Alright!" Lyle stood back on his feet and clapped his hands. "Team Lyle!" When no one gave him the response he was expecting, Lyle nodded his head. "We'll workshop that, it's in beta. Okie dokie. Our translate lecture is in fifteen minutes." Lyle clapped his hands together again, signaling the end of the meeting.

On the way out of the room, Stuart sent Sophia another stink eye before strutting out, Yo-Yo didn't even glance her way, Billy and Nick thanked her once again, Lyle - being Lyle - patted her on the back and said 'go team!', and Neha stood so close to her that their shoulders touched. Sophia expected Neha to shove her, knock her off-balance, but what the Indian woman did instead was threaten, "If you ever say or do anything like that to me again, I _will_ destroy you."

Great. It was high school all over again. The prettier, more popular girls had always treated Sophia like dirt, made it clear that they didn't want her breathing the same air as them. But that was almost four years ago. Meeting another princess of the campus was starting to get on her nerves.

In response to Neha's threat, Sophia glanced at her from under her curtain of dyed hair and said, "Whatever." Before Neha could say anything else, Sophia picked up the pace and sped out of the room, never stopping or slowing down until she reached her destination.

* * *

**Thanks so much to Baylee for the review. I would also like to thank Cath Avery and comboeuferre for deciding to alert _Noogler_. You, my fellow fanfiction writers, are amazing :)**

**~Edited 07/16/14~**


	3. Challenge Number One

Waking up after a late night was never fun. Of course, Sophia knew it was her fault. She'd been so caught up in watching reruns of _Miami Ink _that she'd lost track of time, not falling asleep until close to two-thirty in the morning - four-and-a-half hours before she had to get up.

So when her alarm blared "Pocket Full of Sunshine" she just about threw it against the walls (Sophia made a note to herself to find a less annoying song to help get her up and moving). The only thing that made her almost human was a hot shower and a cup of coffee, courtesy of Google.

When Sophia had finally dragged her feet into the room she was to meet her team in, she found Lyle, Yo-Yo, and Neha already seated. The intern rubbed a palm against her eyes in order to help wake herself up as she entered, sitting down on the first chair she could find.

"Hey! It's Sophia," said Lyle, walking up to the very exhausted woman. "What's shakin', bacon? You ready for another exciting day at the Goog?"

If he'd come up to her at any other time of the day, Sophia would have been more open, more forgiving. But, unfortunately, it was early in the morning, and she was so not in the mood. "Lyle. If you value your life, don't talk to me, don't look at me, and don't touch me," she growled.

When Sophia and her brother use to live under the same roof, he learned very quickly not to mess with her until she was fully awake. He use to say that she was like a wild animal because if you wanted her to accept and warm up to you you'd have to wait for her to come to you. This was especially true during Sophia's teenage years.

Lyle, having not expected this kind of reaction, held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. I can wait." Luckily, Lyle turned and walked away, leaving Sophia alone. Good. If she was going to perform the first challenge today with her team, they were going to have to give her a few minutes to calm down, to wake up.

As her teammates talked, Sophia sipped her espresso as she stared straight ahead, thinking about the past week's events as they waited for others to arrive.

Even though a week had passed, no one made any improvements in getting along. In fact, it seemed to have gotten worse. Neha still held a childish grudge against Sophia for the 'conversation' they'd had during the meet and greet Lyle held. Sophia didn't blame her, but still. It was stupid that Neha had to be such a bitch about everything her time at Google had thrown at her. No one liked being unwanted, but here they were and here they'd stay until the end of summer.

Yo-Yo wasn't as shy or timid as Sophia had first expected. However, he still wasn't as outgoing or daring as the other members of his team.

Stuart still remained in his own cyber world, never looking away from his cell's screen for more than a few seconds. His attitude and sarcastic remarks were still as annoying and irritating as ever.

Nick and Billy still weren't having much luck in being accepted as full members of 'Team Lyle'. Sophia felt sorry for them. She knew it wasn't easy for people their age to find jobs, especially in this kind of field. But she couldn't put all the blame on the others. She hardly talked to Billy and Nick at all. The only times she really talked to them was during or after group seminars and, on occasion, during lunch.

The only person who tried to really make an effort was Lyle. Bless his heart, he really was trying to make a difference, tried every day to bring the group together.

Sophia, well, the only progress she made was being disliked by the other interns from not only her team but the other teams as well.

During the next twenty minutes, the other members - Billy, Nick, and Stuart - arrived. Unlike Stuart, who looked just as exhausted as Sophia felt, the older interns entered with an energetic attitude, eager to begin the first task they'd be given.

"Yeah! Let's get this show on the road!" exclaimed Billy.

Sophia's body tensed as she gasped in shock. "Don't. Touch. Me," she snarled through gritted teeth.

"Oh, come of, Miss Sophia. What's wrong with a little-" Billy's sentence cut off when he received an icy death glare in response, warning him to back off or face the consequences.

"Whoa! Whoa! It's okay. It's all good. No one has to lose their head," said Nick as he and Billy held their hands up in surrender.

Sophia, seeing that her message was received, turned around, eyes gazing into her dark liquid. "Sorry. Just don't touch me until I'm awake ever again."

"Understood. Understood."

Not even a minute later, one of the main computers beeped, drawing the interns in like moths to light. Once positioned in front of the screen, Lyle clicked the button which opened the email. Mr. Chetty appeared on the screen, the words Debug the Code hovering above his head. The background he stood in front had multiple codes which scrolled behind as he spoke, "Good morning, interns. Today marks the first of several challenges through which your teammates will show their merits. While internally documenting a product, a number of Googlers reported a bug which disabled their audio. All two-million lines of that cord are in the source files. You're job: find the bug."

The video closed, returning to the screen which was displayed before the message.

None of them wasted a second, immediately jumping in to the challenge given to them. As Sophia's teammates began listing off ideas on how to solve the puzzle, they each took a dry erase marker and begin writing notes on the glass walls. Since this was Sophia's area of expertise, she felt comfortable with this challenge.

As Sophia and the others began writing down the codes and theories, Billy and Nick began rambling on and on about things that were extremely irrelevant to what they were working on. Sophia recognized that they were just as a part of the team as she and the younger interns, but by gosh, their chatter was totally distracting, making it difficult to concentrate.

Finally, it got to the point where Sophia couldn't take it any longer. "STOP IT!" she screeched louder than she meant. Not only did it get the attention of everyone in the room but those who were outside of the room, too. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Sophia rubbed the back of her neck and turned to face Billy and Nick. "Listen. I'm glad you guys are trying to help, but my gosh, your conversation and ideas have nothing to do with what we're trying to figure out. Like Lyle said, 'We're looking for a bug, not a password.'"

"Yeah, and that's a sharpie you're using, genius," added Stuart, tone dripping with aggravation.

Billy, who'd been writing down his and Nick's theories on a section of glass, looked at his work, horrified once he realized what he'd done. "Oh. That's my fault." Billy licked his thumb and began frantically rubbing the black ink, trying to get it off.

"That's not going to work, dude," said Sophia, shaking her head. "Okay, listen. In order to find and kill the bug, we need to scan the user logs and review the code until we find the programmer's mistake."

"It's the only way to figure this out," said Neha, agreeing with Sophia.

"But what if it's not the only way?" argued Billy, thinking that there was another way to tackle it. Nick pointed at Billy and said 'go', sending his friend into a long and unnecessary explanation. "You said that someone programmed this. That means that some _person _in this building wrote that code."

"A human _being_!" exclaimed Nick, getting into Billy's theory.

"Let's just give him a name and call him Tony."

"_Tony_."

"Let's just say that Tony likes to. . . kayak."

"_Kayak_."

"All of a sudden, Nick and Tony become friends. They're throwing a few beers back, and we're doing some kayaking with my main man, Tony. They're out on the open water, and the next thing you know they're gabbing about audio bugs!"

_What the heck?!_

Sophia began to rub her temples, eyelids shut. This was not happening. Instead of trying to fix the problem, Billy and Nick were talking about useless information. Even if they could find the programmer it would be too late to even talk with them.

"Actually, that's a _great _idea," said Stuart, as if he'd been blown away.

Sophia looked at Stuart, a look of confusion and frustration covering every inch of her face. "Um, I'm sorry. _What_?" said Sophia.

"Finally!" said Nick in relief, glad that someone finally agreed with them.

"Yeah! Dark and Stormy's feeling us," said Billy.

"Yeah. I'm feeling you big time, buddy," said Stuart.

"Perfect!"

"In fact, why don't the two of you guys, right now, go and find the programmer."

Oh. Now Sophia understood. Stuart was trying to get rid of them so they could continue working without any distractions.

"Right. Great idea. Who's our man?" asked Nick, ready to find out who their 'man' was.

"His name is. . . Charles Xavier," answered Yo-Yo.

Sophia raised an eyebrow. Wouldn't they know-

"Charles Xavier. Got it."

Nope. They don't.

"He's a professor at. . . Stanford," added Neha. "Yeah. Just a few minutes away, actually."

"Guys," said Lyle, trying to get his group to stop.

A part of Sophia felt glad that Lyle had a good heart, but another part of her wanted Billy and to leave.

"_And _he's in a wheelchair," said Stuart.

"Got it!" said Billy before he began repeating what he'd been given. "Stanford. Wheelchair. What else?"

All at once, Yo-Yo, Neha, and Stuart began talking over each, saying other traits that 'Professor Xavier' had ("Oh! He's bald!" "Might be with his friend, who wears a metal helmet." "He's got a British accent.")

"British! My area. Let's go," said Nick as he left.

"Okay. Keep searching. Remember. Think fly, think bug, and I promise you this'll intersect with gold bloom," Billy reminded the group before turning and following Nick.

Once they were out of sight, the younger interns got back to work. Sophia, however, remained still, stunned by how they'd handled the situation. "You know, that was kind of mean, guys."

"Well, if you thought so, you should have said something," snapped Stuart without taking his eyes off of his work.

Sophia opened her mouth to give a smart remark, but closed it when she realized he was right. Shaking her head, Sophia resumed her task. She needed to focus if she wanted her group to win.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

Four. Freaking. Hours. Later. And they still hadn't figured out how to catch the audio bug.

Staring at her laptop's screen, Sophia tried to see if she could notice anything that she'd missed for the past few hours. Nothing. Still nothing. Sophia groaned and leaned back in her chair, placing her hands over her eyes. How hard could it be to find something as simple as an audio bug? Her dad taught her to fix bugs before she could even talk!

"Yo to the yo. Where are we at?" Lyle asked Yo-Yo.

"Confirmed that there was no package lost, almost been checking on whether the inscription has the wrong certificate," the Asian male reported.

"I'm sorry, _almost_?" said Neha in disbelief. "You're either done or you're not. You can't be 'almost' pregnant."

"Yeah. Hey, she would know, guys," said Stuart.

Neha, pissed at his remark, bumped up the attitude. "You know what? Why don't you Google 'asshole', asshole."

"She's right. You're not doing good enough." Yo-Yo began picking at his eyebrows, flinching each time he successfully pulled a hair out of his skin. "Get it together, Yo-Yo."

"Yo, dude. What are you doing? Stop pulling out your eyebrows," demanded Sophia. If he didn't stop, he was going to end up looking like a naked cat.

"No! I'm punishing myself for my inferior performance."

"Infer- Yo-Yo. You didn't do anything wrong. You're just a bit behind."

"Exactly why I must punish myself."

"Well, that's good. That's great. We've got crazy over here," - Stuart pointed at Yo-Yo - "crazy, mid-age crisis mom over there," - he motioned his hand towards Sophia - "and crazy-horny over here," he finished, nodding his head towards Neha.

Having none of Stuart's insults, Neha said, "Let me guess. Big dick, 'cause little dick?"

"Does your mind immediately go to a penis joke, or is that all the time?" Stuart fired back.

"Oh! Was that not witty enough for you, 'cause I'm too busy _working_."

"No, that's fine. I just want you to acknowledge the fact that I'm more capable."

"_That's _what you're worried about right now?"

"Yes, that's what I'm _really _worried about right now," was Stuart's sarcastic reply.

"You're more worried about snarky banter than you are about winning," said Neha, trying to get the last word.

"Well maybe I'm just-"

Sophia, having noticed the panicked look Lyle was wearing and how Yo-Yo was still picking at his eyebrows, finally had enough. "Enough!" she barked, getting her team's attention. "You two are so busy arguing about something ridiculously stupid that you've forgotten that we have a job to do. You're not the only ones whose jobs are at stake here. Now, let's find this bug, get rid of it, and win. Okay? Does that sound good?"

Instead of getting the response she wanted, her plan backfired when Stuart said, "Oh, so you're now in charge? That's great, you know, since you seem to have done _absolutely nothing_."

Now, instead of staying out of the fight, she was in it. "Excuse me? _I _am an Information Technology major at OU. I've worked with computers since I was six-and-a-half years old, so don't you _dare _imply that I'm incapable of doing something as simple as debugging a computer, you arrogant, little-"

As if it were perfectly timed, the computer they had gathered around earlier for Mr. Chetty's message dinged. This succeeded in where Sophia or Lyle couldn't. Gathering around the computer, the team waited for Lyle to open the message, already fearing the worst.

Upon opening the message, Mr. Chetty appeared, the same background scrolling behind him as before, the title of the challenge still above his head. "After five hours of hard work, I would like to congratulate Mister Jefferson Hans' group for finally cracking the code and riding the system of the audio bug. Do not think that just because your team won that you are guaranteed a place here at Google. To those of you who lost, figure out why you've failed and fix it before it's too late."

The screen went blank.

Sophia and her team continued to stare ahead, shocked and frustrated that they'd lost.

"Great. Just great. We lost. Great job, guys. If we keep this up, we're bound to not end up with a job," said Stuart, sarcastically.

And just as fast as the message had ended, the dreary interns gathered their things before leaving. As the others left, Sophia remained where she stood. She'd lost. They'd _all _lost. If they had just stuck with the task they might have actually won.

Looking at Lyle, Sophia's face softened. "I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have gotten involved."

Lyle, who was taken out of his thoughts, looked at Sophia and shrugged his shoulders. "It's fine. It's cool. It's all good in the hood."

Sophia wasn't convinced. She was upset, everyone was, and so was Lyle. She opened her mouth to say something else but closed it, thinking carefully about her next words. She finally came up with, "Do you think it's time for lunch? I'm pretty much starved."

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

"Wait. So you're, like, some kind of vegan?" said Stuart when Sophia answered a question Lyle had asked.

"Vegetarian. And no. I'll eat any animal by-products as long as no animal was harmed or killed to provide me my meals," said Sophia as she began picking at her veggie salad.

Despite the argument they'd been in only minutes ago, they'd calmed down enough to tolerate each other. Besides, they were stuck with each other until the end of the program. Might as well get use to each other, right?

As Neha began another conversation, two familiar shapes wandered up to their table.

"Hey! Did you guys find 'Professor Xavier'?" said Stuart, amusement filling his face.

"Yeah, we found him," said Nick.

"Yeah. Thanks _so _much for that, though. That was _really _great team spirit," said Billy, not amused. "Mind sliding over here?" As Billy went to sit in the empty place next to Stuart, he slid across the bench, taking up both places.

"I'm sorry. It doesn't look like there's really enough room for you," said Yo-Yo.

Billy and Nick's faces dropped once they realized that their own team didn't want them to join.

"Have a great. . . lunch," said Nick.

"Yeah, see you around."

As the older men walked away, Sophia felt horrible. It really was like high school all over again, only this time she was on the other end: the bullies. That thought alone was enough to send her blood boiling. Scrunching her face in anger, Sophia spat, "What the heck is your problem, you guys?!"

"Isn't it obvious? They don't belong. Heck, they can't even crack a simple audio bug. How do you expect them to pull their own weight?" said Stuart, his voice full of hostility.

"Are you _kidding _me right now? Yeah, they were making it hard to concentrate earlier, but that doesn't mean they're any less valuable to the team."

"Well, then you should have stopped them from going to meet 'Professor X'."

_Okay. That's it._

Banging the table with her fists (and ignoring the pain that met them), Sophia grabbed her tray and left. "You know what? You're all a bunch of dicks."

As Sophia rushed away, she heard Stuart fire back, "Look who's talking, douche wad."

Without looking over her shoulder, Sophia gave him the bird.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

"Hey. Mind if I join you?" asked Sophia, having finally found Billy and Nick.

The two men gave her sarcastic looks as Nick said, "Oh, sure. Why not? If it'll help you ruin our chances at getting hired, then be our guest."

Sophia felt guilt grip at her heart. Stuart was right. She really _was_ a douche wad. As she sat down in the empty chair, Sophia began to apologize. "Look. I'm really sorry about how I treated you and Billy earlier. I was just. . . . Gah, I don't know. I just was so focused on winning that I neglected to include or stand up for you. I really felt horrible. Honestly, I did. I promise I won't pull a move like that again. Just, please, don't look at me like that."

It took a moment or two, but the older men eventually gave in.

"Alright. We'll forgive you, Miss Sophia. But only this time," teased Billy.

Sophia let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Thanks." A series look came over Sophia as she asked, "Do you guys seriously not know who Professor Xavier is?"

"If you're referring to the one we met, yes."

"And he was a total dick," added Billy.

Sophia grinned. "You really don't know who- Wait, you actually found someone who looks _just _like Professor X?"

Before either of them could respond, a small group of people passed by the table. A boy with dark hair and a British accent spoke for them. "Look at this! William, Nicholas, person I don't know" - he referred to the other man who sat in the chair to Sophia's left who was busy typing away at his laptop - "and girl with a freakish appearance."

"Wow. Rude much?" said Sophia, arms crossed over her chest as she glared at the dark-haired man.

"Does it look like I care?" The boy looked at Billy, his eyes covered by a pair of huge, tinted sunglasses. "Figured I'd find you here at the cool kids table. Looks like a confederacy of outcasts here. Heard you and Nick here had a trip to Palo Alto, home of the Silicon Valley and also the X-Men, apparently."

"Where are you going with this, Graham?" asked Nick.

"Oh! I just wanted to let you guys know that _we _won the bug challenge."

"Yes, good sir. We know. They announced it via video email."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I miss that they here to help your team with the challenge?"

Sophia glared at Graham from underneath her eyelashes. "You know, you're so full of crap that I don't know if I should beat the snot out of you or slap that smirk right off of your face."

"You know, I'd feel worried for you if you actually had a good team, but you don't. Wanna know why? Because your 'team' sucks balls. Now, don't get me wrong, I actually want you to do good. It's just that you are so horrible. You're, like, the worst group of people I've ever seen in my whole life."

"I wouldn't worry about what we're going to do and what we're not going to do. We'll be just fine," said Billy, coming to Sophia's defense.

"Alight. Keep telling yourself that. See you three all-stars at the Instrumental fields for the next challenge I'll win." And with that, Graham patted Billy's shoulder and led his silent group away from their table.

"Sports! That's something we know about."

"Something we know _a lot_ about, baby," agreed Billy. "Look at me. For _real_."

Sophia, who already knew what they were playing, gave them a look that read, 'really, now?'

Billy, having noticed this, asked, "What's with the look? Do you really think we don't know our sports. Look at us. Look. At. Us. We're two fully grown men who live, breath, and eat this kind of stuff up."

"Really? So you know what Quidditch is?"

Billy and Nick, having been taken aback, shared a quick look between themselves before Nick asked, "What the _heck _is Quidditch?"

Sophia sighed and shook her head as an amused smile graced her lips. These two had a lot to learn if they were going to succeed in the next challenge.

* * *

**~Edited 07/16/14~**


	4. Hufflepuff on Three

Since the day of the dreaded bug challenge, Sophia had shone Billy and Nick every _Harry Potter _film ever made, explaining the ways of the most beautiful game ever created when the characters played a round. The poor men didn't know what on Earth she was talking about. They nodded their heads when she made a comment about the film or had asked the simplest of things ranging from 'Who the heck is The Boy Who Lived?' to 'How can He Who Shall Not Be Named live off of Professor Quirrell's head?' Sophia gladly answered their questions, making sure to sum it up in Muggle terms rather than Pure Blood terms.

Sophia wished she could say that she'd done well in teaching them the rules of Quidditch, but, to be honest, she still had her doubts. In fact, they still had trouble remembering the name of the wizarding sport.

She'd always wanted to play Quidditch, and now here she was, doing something she loved in order to become an employee of Google. When _the_ day arrived, Sophia was more than ready to begin.

To prepare for the best challenge ever, Sophia traded in her usual pair of electric blue glasses for her sports glasses, pulled her blue and pink hair into a high pony, used a skinny, black and red band to hold her bangs in place, wore her vintage Dr. Pepper T-shirt, maroon Soffe shorts from her cheerleading days, her Nikes, knee-length Gryffindor socks, and - in honor of the game - her Golden Snitch earrings. For the final touch, Sophia took her eyeliner and drew a tinny lightning bolt on her forehead.

Once done, Sophia gave her work one last look, nodding her head in satisfaction. She'd really outdid herself, if she said so herself. Sophia smiled. Today was going to be _totally_ awesome.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

"Um, what the frock is on your face?" said Neha once Sophia met up with the rest of her team.

Sophia, confused, raised an eyebrow. "Eyes? A nose? Lips? The skin which keeps blood inside of my body? What else would there be?"

Neha rolled her eyes. "No, genius. That black, zigzag thing."

Once clarified, Sophia realized what her teammate was talking about. "Oh, that? That's my scar."

Lyle gave an amused smile while Neha and the others looked at Sophia like she'd grown four extra heads.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"That's right. I'm Harry freakin' Potter."

Before the conversation could go any further, Lyle began passing out their brooms. "Alright! Here we go. We got some sick Firebolt 2013s up in here! What?!"

When Sophia took her plastic broom, Billy and Nick came rushing in, dressed in their workout cloths and way too excited (not that Sophia could blame them). Billy, who had a red bandanna tied around his head, stood next to Yo-Yo, Nick at his right. "Yeah! Who's ready for some blood and dirt?" The older intern held up one of his large hands for Yo-Yo to slap. When Yo-Yo stared at it instead of giving him what he wanted, Billy said, "Alright. Great excitement, guys. Let's keep it up. Wait. What are we suppose to do with these?" asked Billy, perplexed, when Lyle gave him and Nick their brooms.

"You need to sit on them while you play the game," explained Sophia. "You know, like they did in the films?"

"Oh, right. Right. I got ya, my sista."

No. He totally didn't. Sophia could tell they knew jack squat despite what she had already told them.

"Okay, guys. As you all know, since only six people can play during the Quidditch match, the leaders have all been asked to sit on the sidelines in order to allow every intern a chance to take part in the challenge. Yay!" said Lyle, all excitement gone.

Sophia's face fell. Poor Lyle. She could tell how upset he was that he wouldn't be able to play.

"Okay, so rules." Lyle took a deep breath before rambling in one breath, "The beaters hit the Bluddgers at the Chasers before they can get the Quaffle through the three rings. No flagging, no blagging, no bumphing, no haversacking. I don't want to see any Quaffle-pocking. No Imperius cursing, no Confundus Charms. In the unlikely event of a Dementor attack, use a Patronus Charm. I recommend the stag, but that's a personal decision."

"Lyle, Lyle. These beautiful idiots have no idea what you're talking about," interrupted Neha, pointing at Nick and Billy. "Use your Muggle words, come on."

"Actually, that's unnecessary. I already told them in Muggle how to play," said Sophia as she leaned into her broom.

"You did?"

"Yeah. Tell them, guys."

"Well, from what our little friend over here has told us, we understand that we need to pass the ball around, throw it in those hoop things you kids have been jabbering about, and make sure that the red balls don't stop us," said Billy, using his hands to illustrate as he listed off the version Sophia had used.

"Basically," said Sophia, a smug grin on her lips, chest puffed out like a proud mama bird. "I told them it's like a mix between dodge ball and soccer, only without trade outs and knock outs."

"That about sums it up. Alright, people. Brooms in." Once everyone had put their brooms in the center, Lyle said, "Hufflepuff on three. One, two, three."

"Hufflepuff!" 'Team Lyle' shouted in unison.

And as they ready themselves to enter the makeshift arena, Nick asked in a completely confused tone, "What the _hell_ is a Hufflepuff?"

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

Sophia wished she could say that the Quidditch match went well, but, alas, she could not.

It all started when the team entered the field, ready to play against Graham's team (the dark-haired boy who'd been nothing but rude to Sophia and her teammates, especially to Billy and Nick). Sophia could hardly wait to beat the holy, living crap out of him. When the whistle was blown, the opposing teams charged into battle, grunting and growling as they ran, eyes set on the three recreational balls placed in center field.

Neha was able to grab a Bluddger while two of Graham's teammates got ahold of the other red ball as well as the Quaffle. Sophia began chasing after the Quaffle, trying to stop them from scoring. Even though she was use to demanding sports, it was a hard task since her team was either confused or not paying any attention at all. Before she knew it, Graham had scored the first goal of the entire game.

_Shoot. _That cost them ten points.

Sophia, determined not to let it happen again, bumped up her competitive side, unwilling to let another Quaffle pass through one of her team's rings.

When the Quaffle was put back into play, Sophia began chasing anyone who wore the color blue. She was aware that Billy and Nick still, despite being told the basics, had no idea what was going on. Every time she passed them, they looked like two puppies abandoned in the middle of nowhere. It was then that she realized that the people she'd been stuck with for the summer had already given up. And the second. . . third goal hadn't been scored yet.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Sophia was able to get ahold of the Quaffle after she threw a Bluddger at the blonde who use to carry the white ball.

"Sophia!" called Neha.

Sophia turned and threw the Quaffle at the dark-skinned woman who, in turn, tossed it to a Not Paying Attention Stuart. Stuart, who had been hit on the side of his head, looked at Neha, eyes narrowed in a glare. "What the heck was that?"

"The Quaffle, you idiot! GRAB THE FREAKING QUAFFLE!" Sophia screamed so loud she felt her throat run raw. She resumed running when the blonde regained possession of the ball.

As Sophia finally caught up to the blonde girl, she saw a flash of yellow, which hit her in the face, knocking her down on her butt. Thankfully, Sophia's sports glasses protected her eyes, but crap, that really hurt. Getting back on her wobbly feet, Sophia groaned, "My giant, blue head."

The ref, Sid, blew his whistle. "Hey! Keep your broom between your legs before you hurt someone else."

"Sorry! Broom between legs," apologized Billy, the one who was called on. "You okay, Miss Sophia?"

Sophia gave the universal OK sign before jumping back into the game, all the while trying to regain her bearings.

Since the intern was seeing spots and had some troubled walking in a straight line, she was finding it harder to play the game to her best abilities. But, Sophia reasoned with herself, if Harry could win a Quidditch match during a storm, which poured freezing-cold rain, while being attacked by a Dementor, she could play through the temporary blurriness she was suffering.

Not even three minutes later, Billy called for a timeout, brining the team into a huddle.

"It's over, guys," said Neha as soon as they'd formed a circle on their half of the field.

"Yeah, our team's a joke," agreed Stuart, taking his beanie off of his head. "Sophia can't even walk without tripping over her feet."

"Yeah, only because Billy hit her in the face, and she was the only decent player we had."

"Pish. Nonsense. She's fine. Right, Sophia?" asked Billy, looking at the hunched over young adult.

Sophia's response was, "I can't feel my face."

Neha looked at Billy as if to say, 'see?!'

"Okay, so she's a little numb-"

"A _little_? Look at her face! It looks like she has a freakin' sunburn," said Stuart in frustration, motioning his hand towards Sophia's face.

"Hey? Is it just me, or does it look like it's snowing crack?" asked Sophia, blinking her eyes to clear her vision.

"I have to agree with Stuart. Our team _is _a joke. A _very _big joke," said Yo-Yo, drearily.

"Well, I'm not laughing. What about you, Billy?" Nick asked his friend.

"_Heck_ no."

"Listen. We need to get our minds right and start believing."

Catching on to what his friend was trying to get across with the younger interns, Billy decided to add his own two cents. "This reminds me of a little girl who had to get her head right and start believing. A little girl who was from a steel town who had the dream to dance. No one believed in that welder girl, but thank goodness she believed in herself."

"Are you talking about _Flashdance_? The movie from the 80s?" said Stuart, not getting what Billy was trying to get through their heads.

"Darn right I am. That's what I'm talking about. The deck was stacked against Alex, and you want to know how she overcame those odds? By believing in herself and trying. She _literally _had to become a maniac."

"Have any of you been called a 'maniac'? Maybe because you were a little bit different?" asked Nick.

Sophia raised her hand high up in the air, head dropped over, giving her the appearance of someone saying, 'right on!'

"My mom calls me a maniac every night when I tell her I love her," admitted Yo-Yo.

"Of course she does, Yo-Yo! You _are _a little bit. In a good way! And guess what? That old Bill Gates? People called him a maniac, too."

"No question," agreed Billy.

"Yeah, I don't think anyone ever called him a _maniac_," said Neha, the others agreeing with her as well.

"I just called him a maniac!" argued Nick.

"Okay, darnit, guys! You're getting off the point here. She had to strip down to nothing, had to sit in that chair and arch her back, and she had to pull the chain to nowhere and douse herself with _water_!"

"And where did that water come from?" asked Nick.

"Who knows?!"

"It came from her _belief _that it was _there_!"

"And she believed so hard that she found herself with an audition in front of one of those stuffed shirts at the dance school, and she spun. _Oh_, and she spun. And she spun and she spun and she spun and she spun herself into that dance school, and she spun herself into our hearts. Now, in the second half of this 'sport' that you guys call Quidditch, can't we all be that little welder girl who wants to be something more?

"Now look. I know you guys aren't excited that we're on your team. But we're here. Guys, we're in this thing together. So I'm asking you: believe in yourselves. _Believe _in each other. Let's put on our leg warmers, and let's dance our butts off."

Billy and Nick's teammates, having been moved and inspired by their speech, seemed to change during that special moment, a moment where they all somehow figured out that yes, they were stuck with each other, but they were in it _together_.

"Now, come here, you little, lovable maniacs. Get in here," said Nick, brining the group back to reality.

"Now, I've got a plan that would make Bear Bryan smile," said Billy as the team huddled up.

"I have _no _idea who that is, but we're listening," said Neha.

And thus began the unbreakable bond of Team Lyle.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

When the game was back in play, Lyle's team of nooglers assumed their positions, finally fully committed to the game. When Graham's team snatched the Quaffle, Billy blocked it from being passed to the best player of their team. Sophia, who now had regained her sight and balance, caught the ball, ran, tossed it to Stuart who then tossed it to Neha.

Neha, after catching the Quaffle, began to run toward the enemy's side. When she saw Sophia was open, she tossed it back who then threw it at Nick who, in turn, scored them their first goal of the game. Needless to say, Team Lyle had a small celebration before getting back into the game.

Throughout the second half, they came together as a team, communicating the way they should have since day one, scoring goal after goal until they were tied with Graham's team: Seventy points to seventy points.

"Tied game!" exclaimed Sid, excited by how the match had turned out. And he wasn't the only one.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Sophia noticed something blindingly gold. Turning her head towards the sight, Sophia felt her heart stop for a fraction of a second. It was the Snitch.

"SNITCH!" shouted Lyle from the sidelines, gaining the attention of the playing teams.

Without giving it another thought, Sophia took off, running full speed. She knew it wouldn't be an easy feat, since the job of the Snitch was to actually fly - or in this case, run - away from the Seekers.

The Snitch, although fast, was no match for Sophia's speed. Even if she didn't look like it, she was known to have an amazing running pace. As she ran after the man wearing the gold body suit, people cheered her on, rooting for her to catch him. In no time, Sophia caught up to him, hand extended. When she was half a foot away, she leapt at him, screaming from effort as she did so. In the process, she ended up tackling him to the ground, landing on top of him as they fell.

Meanwhile, the crowd, and players, became silent, eyes focused on the pile of bodies near 'Hufflepuff's' hoops. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Sophia pushed herself off of the Snitch, stumbling over herself as she did so, arm held high up in the air as she exclaimed, "I caught it! I caught the Snitch!"

The crowd went wild, roaring as her teammates cheered, embracing each other. Eventually, they began running towards Sophia. The young woman laughed as she tried getting back on her feet, failing each time she attempted so. When she finally succeeded, her team crashed into her, gripping her in one of the tightest embraces she'd ever received in her life. As soon as they'd grabbed her in a hug, Yo-Yo and Stuart picked her off of the ground and placed her on their shoulders.

It was in that moment that Sophia felt like they'd finally succeed as a team. She knew that even if they'd lost they still would have been as close as they were now. Winning was just a bonus.

As they carried her away, Sophia called down to the man she'd tackled, "Are you okay?"

The man looked up at Sophia, looking her straight in her blue gaze as he replied, "Oh, yeah. The Snitch is _fine._"

"Sorry!"

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

Sometime later, when Sophia had been returned to ground level, a certain someone who she hadn't seen or talked to since the day before the beginning of her internship at Google appeared. It was her cousin, April.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" asked Sophia as she and her cousin hugged.

"It's my break hour. Thought I'd stop by and see how my favorite girl cousin was doing."

Sophia grinned. "I'm your only girl cousin, April."

"You're still my favorite. Congratulations on winning the challenge, by the way."

"Thanks. It was a team effort."

"I bet." April's brown gaze shifted towards Sophia's team. "So, what are your group members' names?"

Sophia smiled as she introduced her team one by one. April, in turn, shook each of their hands, a beaming smile on her face. When she was introduced to Billy, her slender hand was gripped tighter than the others, the shaking speed faster than Yo-Yo, Lyle, Neha, Stuart, and Nick's combined.

"Hey. April, was it?"

April nodded her head. "Yes. That's correct."

"Well, April. It's a pleasure to meet a lovely, young lady such as yourself."

April chuckled. "Well, that's very kind of you, Billy, but I'm twenty-seven."

"Twenty-seven? Pish. That's nothing. You still have plenty days of youth left. In fact, you don't look a day over twenty-four."

"Why, thank you, Mr. Flirt." April gave him a wink to show she was teasing. "Anyway. Sophia. I was wondering if I could buy you and your team dinner to celebrate your victory." April looked at the others. "If that's alright with all of you."

Before any of them could speak up, Billy said, "Yeah. Of course. We'd love to go out with a generous and considerate person, such as yourself."

"Great! Shall we meet up at my office around seven o'clock tonight?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Well, then. Sounds like we've got a date." Glancing at her watch, April frowned. Looking back up at Sophia, the dirty-blonde gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but I've got to get back to work. See you tonight?"

"You bet," agreed Sophia.

After giving Sophia another hug, the blonde waved farewell and began walking towards the Google building. Once she was out of sight, Billy - his sight fixed on April's retreating form- asked, "Who was that lovely woman?"

"That, my dear Billy, was my cousin, April."

"Um, may I ask where her office is?" asked Stuart, wanting to know where they'd be eating later that evening.

Sophia looked at Stuart, her eyes sparkling with pride as she said, "In Google Translation. She's the head of her department."

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

"So, let me get this straight. You're fluent in _eleven_ languages?" asked Nick, making sure he'd heard correctly.

"Twelve, actually. And I'm working on number thirteen," corrected April, an amused grin on her face as she shifted her food with her plastic fork.

"Tell them what they are, Ap," begged Sophia, proud of her cousin's talent.

"I don't know. . . ." When she saw the curious looks she was getting, April finally gave in. "Okay. I'm fluent in Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Columbian, Russian, Romanian, Mandarin, Arabic, Hebrew, and Italian. Currently, I'm learning American Sign Language. Come to think of it, it should have been one of the first languages I studied."

"Impressive," said Billy. "I mean, that's amazing. All I can speak is American and Chinese."

April raised a dark eyebrow. "Oh, a fellow linguist? How extraordinary."

Sophia held a hand in front of her mouth to hide the amused smile she had. April was totally into Billy as Billy was with her. She wouldn't be this flirty or banter with the man if she wasn't.

"This Mediterranean food is delicious, ma'am," said Yo-Yo, holding up his half-empty plate.

"I know, isn't it? And you don't need to call me 'ma'am', sweetie. April will do just fine." Taking a bit of her pita bread, a hand in front of her mouth, April said, "This is one of my favorite restaurants. The people who own it are good friends of mine. I wish I could have taken you all to get the full experience, but by the time we would have arrived they would have been closed."

"It's alright. This is fine," reassured Stuart, tearing pieces of his bread apart.

April gave the intern a grateful smile. "Now, as much as I've enjoyed this, it's getting late. I need to head home. I've got an early meeting tomorrow morning."

Getting the message, April's guests started picking their things up, throwing away unwanted trash. Once cleaned up, the interns began to thank April once again for the meal.

"It was my pleasure," said April, chin resting on her right palm, eyes half-way closed, a tiny grin framed by her ruby-red lips. As Sophia left with the others, April called out, "Hey, Soph? Can you stay here for another minute?"

"Sure." After closing the door, Sophia re-entered the office. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to say how proud of you I am. You looked like you had fun. Well, at least for the second half."

Sophia gave a cheek-to-cheek grin. "Yeah, I did."

April uncrossed her long, smooth legs and walked up to her cousin to give her one last hug. "See you later, alright?"

Sophia nodded her head.

"Oh! And, Sophia?" When Sophia turned to face her, April asked, "Does Billy have a girlfriend?"

The twenty-one-year-old couldn't help but laugh, which increased in volume at the sight of her cousin's face.

"He does, doesn't he?"

When Sophia was finally able to catch her breath, she choked out, "No. . . . No. . . . I don't think he. . . he does." Sophia raised a brow. "Are you trying to tell me you're interested?"

April gave a mischievous smile. "Of course not, my dear. That would mean I'd be breaking company rules." After receiving a wink from April, Sophia turned and left for her apartment, happy with how her day had played out.

* * *

**~Edited 07/17/14~**


	5. The Square Root of Seventeen

**Hey, guys. Sorry it's taken a bit longer than before to upload. I was either sleeping, attending school, or watching _Supernatural. _All of the above are things I cannot avoid (yes, even my show. There is no way in heck that I'd ever miss it). ****I hope you like this chapter. It took me three evenings to write. _Three_. *Head falls heavily down upon my desk* It was a long process. **

**!WORD OF WARNING BEFORE WE START! This is the strip club scene, so if you're not into this particular part, feel free to skip the middle (I'll even be nice and put STRIP to warn you). But I beg you to read the end. It's kind of important. We learn a little more about Sophia's character. I'm not going to lie, it's a tear-jerker. As I wrote it, I was thinking something like, "What the HECK are you doing!? Leave the poor kid alone!" **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Even though Sophia would have rather played another round of Quidditch for the next challenge, she couldn't. Instead, the Challenge of the Day was to create an app for people to download. In order to win, one team's app had to have to most downloads before noon the following day. Not that Sophia was complaining. Creating an app actually sparked an interest in her. But what to do? What to create?

As soon as Lyle had finished reading the email that was sent to his team, Billy began his usual pep talk. "Alright, guys. Let's take this new team spirit and let's apply it to this next app challenge. We got this."

Sophia brought her hand up in a salute. "Sir, yes, sir! But. . . ."

"But what?"

"We don't have an idea for an app," said Stuart, finishing Sophia's sentence.

"You bet it, Stewy," agreed Nick as he rescanned the message.

"No. Never 'Stewy'," argued Stuart, eyes glued to his cellphone.

"Okay. You don't like 'Stewy'. Perimeter breach acknowledged, _Stuart_," said Nick, making it clear that he now knew to never call his fellow intern by this particular nickname again. Nick turned to Billy. "You know. It'll feel good when this one warms up to me. You know it's going to happen, right?" The older blonde rolled his head until he could see Stuart again. "I'll break you down like a two-by-four bronco. Watch me do it," Nick vowed to a very confused Stuart.

"Okay. Let's brainstorm this puppy," said Billy.

Nick began to rapidly snap his fingers. "We're going to put the coffee, and we're going to let it percolate."

Yo-Yo, taking this as the signal to start, began to walk towards the white board, listing off his ideas as he went, Neha and Lyle trailing close behind him. Stuart went to sit down in front of one of the tiny cubical desks where he began searching the web for ideas and any statistics he thought would aid his teammates. Billy and Nick, although giving a fair amount of the reigns to the younger interns, added their own thoughts. Sophia, however, moved to the coach and took out a pen and pad of paper that she'd stored in her side bag. When she finally settled in - back resting against a red pillow, knees bent to serve as a makeshift table - the young adult got to work, scribbling down her thoughts, listing out the pros and cons of each.

Billy, who sat beside her, tried to get a peek at what she was doing. "What's that?"

"Right now? Scribbles. Ideas."

"Come up with anything yet?"

"No, not really. You?"

"As a matter of fact." Getting up, Billy called for Team Lyle's attention. "Now, I hate to be killing the momentum, or the mojo, that you guys have cooking, but, to be fair with you, needles and categories? They don't _use _apps. _People _use apps. So I have an idea. Nowadays, people are taking pictures, right? They have their phones now. They're out. Something catches their eye, they want to take it. But then the photo's just sitting there. What if they take that photo and instantaneously put it out there on the line, and they share it with their friends!" Billy looked so excited, like his idea was the most amazing thing ever.

Poor guy didn't know that something like this already existed.

"Ah, I hate to break it to you, but we kind of can't use that," said Sophia, hand raised in the air.

"What? What do you mean he can't? His idea is pure gold! People will go nuts for his app," said Nick, just as shocked as Billy looked.

"She meant that we can't use it because it already exists. It's called Instagram and it's one of the most popular apps in the world. Facebook bought them for, like, a billion dollars. That's _billion _with a _b_," clarified Stuart.

"Oh, no, no, no. My idea is very different than that," reassured Billy.

"How is your idea 'very different' than that?" Yo-Yo asked, irritated.

"Because you're taking the photo instantly, so you're putting it out there on the line."

"Online," said Lyle, correcting Billy's mistake.

"Yeah, I'm putting my photos out on the line and I'm putting in an exchange."

"Yeah, that's Instagram," said Neha.

"But mine's more of a social sharing on the line," argued Billy.

"Dude. Instagram already exists. We can't make an app similar to one of the most popular trends out there," added Sophia. "And it's online, not 'on the line'."

"Whoa, Sophia. Take it easy on the sass, will ya?" said Nick.

Sophia rolled her eyes.

"Billy's got a million dollar idea right here!"

"Billion dollar idea," mumbled Stuart.

"Even better! Let him flow!" exclaimed Nick, still not on the same page as the younger interns.

"Nick, I appreciate it, but they can't bring me down. I'm too positive," reassured Billy. Brining both of his hands out, the tall male motioned for Sophia and Stuart to come to him. "Come here, you two. Let me share something with you."

"No," said Sophia and Stuart in unison.

"Please. Come. Come." Stuart, who'd finally given in, got up and stood next to Billy. Billy, who noticed that Sophia still hadn't moved an inch, jerked his hand back and forth. "Come on, Miss Sophia. Don't be shy. A little stage fright's never stopped you before."

Sophia, in response, crossed her arms across her chest and set her stubborn gaze upon Billy. "No."

"Sophia! Come on. The man's got an idea. Let him show the rest of the group," said Nick.

When the room became silent, all eyes on Sophia, the girl gave an annoyed sigh, placed her feet on the ground, and reluctantly walked up to where Billy wanted her to stand.

"Alright. So, I'm going to explain this to you with a visual."

"He's bigger than you two; be careful," warned Yo-Yo.

Billy, as if he hadn't heard the Asian's comment, began his demonstration. "So, you're out with your friend and they get their hair done. You want to take a picture of their freshly dyed hairdo. And now you decide to take a picture." Billy mimed taking a picture with his fingers. "Go on, now. Take a picture of your friend."

Stuart, who looked bored out of his gourd, pretended to take a shot of Sophia. Sophia's weight was resting on one of her legs as she continued to glare at Billy through narrowed eyes, sending him a look that read, 'I'm _so _going to kill you.'

"Now, you put it on the line-"

"Online," interrupted Lyle.

"You put it on Twitter, put it on whatever you want. _That _is Instagram?"

"Oui," confirmed Sophia.

"Yes," agreed Yo-Yo.

"On-hundred-percent," said Neha.

"I get it," said Billy.

"We're not dummies," added Nick, rubbing the back of his head.

"Now, let's go with my concept. Now, you've taken a photo instantaneously, or not instantaneously." His teammates, minus Nick, gave him puzzled looks. "And you take those, and you send those out _on the line_."

"_Online,_" mumbled Lyle, close to giving up on his side of the argument.

"You don't say _crap_! You don't. You just say, 'I like that photo!' and it instantaneously goes on the line-"

"Online."

". . . with your friends, exchanging ideas. Everyone's exchanging photos! And that's why the photos that are being shared on the line-"

"Online."

". . . will be known as _Exchangeagram!"_

At this, his younger teammates groaned in frustration. Even Sophia threw her hands up in the air.

"Holy shit balls, Billy! We don't have time for this," yelled Neha.

At that exact moment, Lyle's computer beeped. After opening the new email, a video of Graham appeared on the screen. "Hello, fellow interns. Graham Hawtrey here. I've taken the liberty of attaching a link to our app which has already downloaded a total of two-hundred-thirty times. Boo-yah!" At the conclusion of the extremely unnecessary and annoying email, the page for Graham's app - Gramaphone - appeared, the sound of a bugle-horn adding emphasis to his douchebag attitude. Lyle closed it, saving them from having to see it longer than needed.

"Great. We're going to lose the challenge, we're not going to get jobs, and our lives are basically ruined," said Neha in an angry huff, plopping down upon a swivel chair when she'd finished ranting.

Sophia frowned, dropping down on the floor, legs crossed Indian style. She didn't think that something as stupid as Graham's arrogance would basically ruin them. What happened to the spirit and energy they had the other day after winning their first challenge? She missed those people. She felt like she was a part of something great. But Sophia knew at the same time what Neha meant. If they couldn't figure out a way to overcome this obstacle they might as well be losing the game, which meant that they had a higher chance of going home.

No. Sophia refused to give up. She wasn't a quitter. Quitting was for wimps, and last time she checked, she wasn't a wimp. If she could tackle a one-hundred-seventy pound man, then she could find a way to make an app.

Glancing at Billy from underneath her eyelashes, she sent him a pleading look, a look that begged him to do something, to say _anything_.

"Hey. Hold on a second," said Billy, taking a seat. "Your lives aren't ruined. You're twenty-one-years-old. You've got your whole life in front of you."

"Yeah, well, do you know what it's like to be twenty-one right now? I mean, a quarter of the kids coming out of college can't even _get_ jobs," said Stuart.

"That's a correct statistic," agreed Yo-Yo, nodding his head. "Mother says you can work hard and go to the right school, but nothing is guaranteed anymore. That's life." He shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry."

"These guys are right," said Neha. "The whole American Dream thing that you guys grew up on? That's all it is nowadays: a dream."

"You're too young to be this cynical," exclaimed Nick. "You really see the world this way?"

"Well, it's not how we see it, it's just the way things are now," said Stuart, voice full of gloom.

A cloud of depression seemed to settle above the occupants of the room, giving the room a melancholic vibe.

Looking at Sophia (whose head was bowed, hair covering her face), Nick asked, "Do you really believe this, too?"

Sophia glanced up at Nick before looking back at her red converse. "I agree with them. The facts are just. . . there. But I don't want to give up. I never want to give something this great up so easily."

At this, Billy shook his head, clapped his hands, and said, "Alright. That's it. Everybody up. Let's do it. Breath of Fresh Air time."

"Why? We have work to do," Yo-Yo reminded his teammate.

"Uh-ah. Ah-ah!"

"Yeah. Time to hit the reset button," said Nick, standing beside his best friend. "We're taking it to the street. We're going to get our heads right, 'cause we're a team."

Smiling, Sophia got up from where she sat, Neha following in pursuit.

"But, what about the app?" asked Lyle, concerned that the group of people he was in charge of would fall behind.

"Lyle. Do as the man says," said Sophia, putting her loose things back in her side bag.

Billy grinned at her remark. "You heard the little lady. Let's get all packed up and get some air. It'll do you kids some good. And don't forget about the Exchangegram idea. Don't say no before you give it a chance. We'll let it sit in our back pockets for now and come back to it later."

Sophia shook her head. "Yeah. That's going to have to be a no, Billy."

On her way out of the room, she heard Billy call out, "Come on! It's a perfect idea!"

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

The first place Billy and Nick took their fellow nooglers was to a restaurant in Chinatown. It was extremely crowded, so crowded that Sophia thought that they wouldn't be able to get a seat. But Billy worked his magic and said something to the host in Mandarin, earning a laugh from the man before he motioned for the group of seven to follow him.

They were led to a large, round table. Sophia sat between Yo-Yo and Stewart, picked up the menu, and began the search for anything that was vegetarian friendly and sounded halfway decent. She eventually decided on the first veggie and rice dish she found, not in the mood for anything specific. Surprisingly, it didn't take long for their food to arrive. Upon receiving her meal, Sophia picked up her chopsticks and began spearing her vegetables. Stuart, having seen this, gave her a look. Tilting her head, Sophia asked, "What?"

"You're doing it wrong." When she didn't seem to understand what he meant, Stuart pointed at her eating utensils. "The chopsticks. You're doing it wrong."

"Oh, am I? Boy, do I feel embarrassed."

"Seriously. Cut the crap. Either use them the right way or don't use them at all."

Sophia raised an eyebrow. "So, are you implying that you know how to use them 'correctly'?"

"As a mater of fact, yes."

"Oh, yeah? Prove it, then."

Taking his chop sticks, Stuart began to explain the way of chopsticks. When he was done, he demonstrated the skill by picking up a piece of chicken from his plate. He gave her a look that dared her to try it out. Sophia, having watched and listened very carefully, tried to do so. When it didn't go as planed, Stuart gave her a smug look.

Letting out a _humph_, Sophia took one of her tan sticks and stabbed one of Stuart's zucchinis, popping it into her mouth, an amused grin on her lips. "I prefer using my own method. It lets me get what I want faster."

"Yeah, well, what are you going to do when you try to eat your rice? That's kind of impossible to do if you can't use your chopsticks correctly."

Sophia stared at Stuart as she positioned the two sticks in their proper place, gripping a single grain of white rice and placing it in her open mouth. Now it was her turn to wear a smug smile. "I never said that I didn't know how to use them."

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

Throughout the meal, Billy and Nick talked about anything and everything under the sun, avoiding anything to do with Google or the app challenge. It was nice, Sophia thought to herself, to not have to worry about her near future. Right now, it was all about the present. And boy did she like it.

When they were done with their meals, their server came back out to take their dirty plates. The table on their right was listening intently to something Billy was saying and laughed at whatever he'd said. Sophia couldn't help but be impressed. The only other time she'd ever heard someone use Mandarin was when April decided to entertain their family with said language. Of course, none of her fellow Whites knew what she was saying, but the little ones thought it was amazing.

Before the waiter left, he bent over and said something to Billy. Billy then thanked him, sending the man on his way. "He says there's a dance club down the street that's suppose to be great."

"You're kidding me," said Nick, taking a sip of his drink.

"No. I swear."

"Dude."

Billy looked at the others. "Have you kids ever been to a dance club before?" When he received from them different variations of the word 'no', Billy gave an amused chuckle. "Oh, then you're all in for a treat tonight, my friends. In. For. A. Treat."

**~STRIP~**

Sophia's first thought when she entered the 'dance club' was this: In _what_ universe was this considered a dance club?

The first thing that she saw was a long, lit-up catwalk which had two floor-to-ceiling poles. Dancing on those poles were half-naked women, both wearing the most risqué outfits Sophia had ever seen, their breasts fully visible for all to see. As they jiggled their bodies around, people held up cash, whistling and cheering them on.

Not only was there sexual activity occurring on the stage, but it happened on the floor, too. Men were receiving lap dances from sleazy women, a few groups of people sat around tables, downing shot after shot, and girls in black underpants ground against each other.

It didn't take long for Sophia, as well as her teammates, to realize they were in a strip club.

Sophia, who was finding it hard to avoid the activities playing out before her, looked down at her feet, face burning from the awkwardness of the situation.

"Are you sure he said _dance club_?!" Nick shouted over the music that was playing.

"Well, I was rockin' Mandarin, he was rockin' Cantonese. Something obviously got confused in the middle," said Billy. "But I say, 'Boom goes the dynamite!' Happy accident, right?"

"Show you to your table?" asked a silky-smooth voice.

Risking a glance, Sophia looked up and instantly regretted it the moment she saw the topless woman. Sophia gazed up at the ceiling, asking God why this had to happen to her. Sophia felt something brush underneath her chin, drawing in her attention. Bringing her eyes down, she was met by the face of their. . . stripper hostess or whatever the heck you called them. She gave Sophia a smile as if to say, 'oh, hon' before turning and moving on to the boy who stood right next to the intern's side.

Stuart, who's gaze was firmly fixed on his cell's screen, either didn't seem to realize who was standing in front of him or was trying his absolute hardest not to look.

Nick leaned into Stuart. "Great, big world out there, my friend. Just _three _inches up. I _beg_ you." The blonde man placed his fingers beneath Stuart's chin and slowly brought his face up until he could see the breasts that were not even two inches away.

Speechless, Stuart was only able to stutter out, "Ye-yeah."

At his response, the stripper took Stuart's left hand and stuck two or three of his fingers in her mouth, sucking on them, earning gasps and shocked exclamations of pleasure from the young male. His fellow young adults stared with wide eyes at what was being displayed before them while Billy and Nick wore pleased grins, as if they were proud fathers. Sophia, although stunned, felt a brief feeling of anger well up inside of her before quickly shoving it aside.

Once she was done finger raping Stuart, the stripper raised his arm high up in the air before leading him away through the crowd.

"Well, I think that's our cue. Come on, guys," said Billy, sending them after a stunned Stuart.

Luckily, it was a short walk to their place. The stripper who'd led them there spun around in Stuart's hand and gently pushed him down until he landed with an _umph_ on the leather wrap-around bench which served as the table's chair. Still stunned by his experience, Stuart stared at the stripper with wide eyes as if he were asking, 'What now?' The stripper gave Stuart a seductive smile, licked her left middle and pointer finger, and placed them on his lips. "See you around, cutie." And with that, she strutted away, black high heels tapping against the floor. Once she had been swallowed by the swarm of sweaty bodies, Yo-Yo, Lyle, and Sophia looked at each other before bursting out in laughter.

"What? What's so funny?" asked Stuart, having finally broken out of whatever trance he'd been in.

"Everything," was Sophia's answer.

Stuart gave her a look and mimicked how she'd looked when she answered him, his expression over-done. At that exact moment, a tall blonde with pigtails and white-lace panties seated Neha, Nick, and Billy. When they were seated, she asked if she could get them anything. At this, Billy and Nick ordered shots for all. A couple of minutes later, their order arrived. Billy and Nick cheered as their server placed the tray of liquor on the group's tiny table.

"Let the good times roll!" whooped Nick, reaching for a shot.

"Yeah! It's about time this group started having fun," agreed Billy, the others following suit.

"Let the good times roll!" Nick picked up two shots and reached across the table. "Bottoms up, Yo-Yo! Sophia!"

Yo-Yo stared at the drinks before looking up at Nick. "I- I can't."

"I _won't_," added Sophia, shaking her head as she refused.

Everyone stared at them - curious, shocked, and confused.

"What?! Why not? You guys are twenty-one, aren't you?"

"Personal decision," explained Sophia with a tiny grin.

"My mom says alcohol numbs the brain," Yo-Yo simply stated.

"Look, I'm not saying that a shot of tequila's the first step on the right journey to self-respect, but maybe it's a start in the right direction?" Nick thought out loud, still holding a shot out for Yo-Yo. "Your call."

It didn't take more than a single look to finally convince Yo-Yo. "One shot," he said, holding up a finger as he took the glass from Nick.

"There you go!"

Bringing their shots in the center, the group clanked their drinks together.

"Cheers! To a night we'll never remember."

Cheering in agreement, Team Lyle downed their drinks.

Yo-Yo, who was still in the process of trying his first alcoholic beverage, drew everyone's attention in. Finally, Yo-Yo tipped his head back, and downed his tequila. All waited on bated breath as his puckered face melted away, a battle cry escaping his lips. At his reaction, the others cheered, reaching for another round of shots.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

Even though Sophia didn't take part in getting drunk, she allowed herself to have some fun. Throughout the night, Sophia made conversation with her teammates. . . . Well, _tried _to. Most of them were close to being hard-core drunk (specifically Yo-Yo. The kid needed to take it easy before he hurt himself). About half-an-hour in to the bazar adventure, Billy slammed his beer glass down on the table. "I just thought of something." Looking at Stuart, the older man asked, "Stuart. How about a lap dance?"

Stuart, who had his seventh round resting against his mouth, looked at Billy. "Uh. . . ."

Taking this as a yes, Billy got up, grabbed Stuart, and began to lead him away. "Tonight's your night, my brother. Tonight is _your _night," said Billy, Nick in tow.

Sophia could only watch as the three men left, leaving her alone with Neha, Lyle, and Yo-Yo. Not even three minutes later, Billy and Nick returned for Yo-Yo.

"Hey! Yo-Yo!" called out Billy.

Standing in front of the buzzed boy, Nick asked, "How would you like to experience something like no other?"

Eyes glazed, posture saggy, Yo-Yo nodded his head. "Heck yeah!"

Grabbing a whooping Yo-Yo, Billy and Nick led him away.

Sophia rolled her eyes. Who were they going to help get a lap dance for next? Lyle? Hopefully not Neha, and, heaven forbid, herself. The intern leaned back in her seat, releasing a heavy sigh as she did so. From the corner of her eye, Sophia noticed Neha looking at her. After turning to face the dark-skinned woman, Sophia titled her head, one of her eyebrows reaching for her hairline. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just. . . ."

"Just what?"

"You don't seem to be enjoying yourself. I mean, no offense to you, but, hot damn, Sophia. You don't drink and you won't even pretend that you're having fun."

Sophia shrugged her shoulders. "So? I just don't drink. And I never said I wasn't having fun. But. . . ."

"But what?"

"I. . . kind of think that the boys would rather have a stranger basically have sex on top of them while they leave us alone."

"Lyle's a boy, and he didn't leave the ladies to have a lap dance," Lyle piped up, gaining the girls' attention. "Hey," he said with a wave.

Sophia gave a light laugh at this. "Yes, everyone but you, Lyle." Sophia glanced at a certain part of the club, a spark of interest setting off inside of her chest. "There's a dance floor."

Lyle and Neha glanced at where she was looking.

"Yeah? So?" asked Neha.

"So? So that means we can dance!" Getting on to her feet, Sophia clapped her hands, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Come on! Get up! We're going dancing, Neha."

Neha gave her a look.

"What? You wanted me to show interest, so I am."

Finally giving in, Neha said, "Ah, what the hell." Downing her shot, Neha slammed her empty glass on the table, jumping to her feet. "Let's dance."

Before they walked away, Sophia looked at Lyle, ready to ask him to join them, when he answered for her. "You girls go ahead. I'll go and find Billy."

"You sure?"

"I'm one-hundred-percent sure, my homedog."

Nodding her head, Sophia linked arms with Neha and bounced to the dance floor.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

It felt like minutes, but it was actually two hours worth of hopping around, moving to the beat that pulsed through the speakers. It had been months since Sophia had danced this much. She had no problem getting lost in the music, swaying her hips left and right, jumping up and down, squealing whenever one of her favorite songs was played.

Sometime during the dance, the others - minus Lyle (Billy had told them that he was busy talking to a girl he recognized, therefore preventing him from joining the group) - slowly trickled in. Billy and Nick were cheering the younger interns on, moving a bit every now and again, eventually leaving about a half-an-hour later for some other activity the strip club provided.

Yo-Yo, extremely drunk, moved about the floor like a maniac, his limbs loose and sloppy and he flailed around. Neha, even though not the best, really got into it. And Stuart. . . . Well, Sophia didn't know what to think. What she did know was that he was possibly just as bad of a dancer as she was.

But, like they say, all things must come to an end.

The end of Sophia's dancing came when exhaustion finally caught up to her, demanding her to stop. Leaning over her knees, Sophia gasped out, "Guys. I think I'm done for the night."

The others didn't argue with her. Deciding that it was time to take a break, Neha, Stuart, and Sophia began the short walk which led to the bar, grabbing a still dancing Yo-Yo as they left.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

Call it fate, call it destiny, call it dumb luck, call it whatever you want, but whatever it is, it was near perfect timing. Reason? When the group of four neared the bar, laughing for no reason, they saw Lyle standing near the bar, talking with a pretty woman. They were about to call out when a man, who looked totally pissed, pushed Lyle. The hairs rose on the back of Sophia's nest, anger boiling beneath her skin. Rushing forwards, Sophia stood next to her team leader, hands clenched at her sides. "Yo! What gives?" she demanded, eyes narrowed.

The man, who had at least a few inches on her and wore a long-sleeved, pink shirt, gave Sophia a smug look. "Oh, so you need your freakish little sister to defend you? What a pansy!"

"What did you just call our friends?" asked Billy, standing behind her and Lyle, the rest of the team joining him.

"Aw. And it's the United Colors of Nerds. Do all you guys work together? I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's a tech company who only hires ugly people."

"Hey! Whoa!" exclaimed Nick as more of Sir Douche's friends arrived for backup. "Come on, take it easy, man. Is this the Jets and the Sharks? How about you guys head this way," - he motioned to the far left- "and we go that way,"- Nick pointed towards the entrance - "and our paths will never meet again." Nick rested his hands on Billy and Lyle's shoulders. "Have a great night!"

"Yeah, that's a _great _idea," Sir Douche dryly agreed, and turned to leave. But just when the strobe lights began to flicker, he turned as fast as a viper striking its prey and aimed to hit Lyle in the face. Before it could do him any harm, Billy reached forward and gripped his wrist and hit Sir Douche in the face. As the two men tumbled across the room, Nick leapt into action, following his friend into battle.

Before Sophia could comprehend what was happening, both her group and Sir Douche's group began to go at it. Ducking out of the way to avoid being in the crossfire, Sophia moved to the side, crashing into Lyle. The two watched as the scene unfolded before them.

Yo-Yo had leapt off of the bar's counter top, landing on one of Sir Douche's men. The force of Yo-Yo's weight crashing on top of him sent the two men towards a sofa where the bigger, stronger man pinned him down and began punching him in the face. Neha then snuck up behind the man and kicked him in the balls hard enough to knock him off his feet. Meanwhile, Stuart had somehow gotten into a fight with another man, their bodies becoming one as they moved across the barroom.

During all of this, Lyle placed his arms in front of Sophia and the woman who'd most likely been the reason Sir Douche had been mad in the first place (she was a stripper, after all. There was no denying it when she wore a pink bra and a matching pair of underwear).

Before the brawl could go any further, the bouncers arrived, breaking everyone involved up.

When Neha and Stuart had been dragged away (screaming, but not kicking, and more from excitement than anger), another bouncer led Billy, Nick, and Yo-Yo out. Sophia, despite not being physically involved, felt a gentle hand grip her upper arm. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's go," they said, grabbing Lyle's arm as well.

On their way out of the building, Lyle shyly waved at the woman he'd talked with. She returned his polite gesture with a warm smile. From up ahead, Sophia heard Yo-Yo yell, "Yeah! They're going to call the fire department, 'cause we're too hot! Yeah!"

**~OKAY. YOU CAN LOOK NOW, MY DARLINGS~**

When they left the strip club, Sophia thought that it was the end of their break, but Billy and Nick seemed to have something else in mind. Leading them to a bus, they began the journey to wherever the heck they were going. About twentyish minutes later, they arrived: a park near the Golden Gate Bridge.

To be honest, Sophia just about passed out on the way over, but Billy kept poking her when she began to nod off, telling her that she 'couldn't pass out just yet. There still was SO much to see.' Sophia knew that if she kept closing her eyes he'd keep bothering her. Not in the mood to be probed, Sophia grudgingly complied, telling him that wherever they were going better be worth it. And, luckily, it was.

It was close to dawn. The sky changed from ink-black to light-grey to the usual yellow and orange always seen with a sunrise. This natural wonder, along with the view of San Francesco, was one of the most beautiful things Sophia had ever seen. It was worthy of sitting in silence, to have people to take a moment and think. Choosing a place to stand, Sophia crossed her arms, sight set on the scenery before her.

When was the last time she did this? She honestly couldn't remember. And that was such a shame to admit. It was so beautiful.

Sophia vowed then and there that if she made it in to Google she'd come here everyday to bask in the peace of mind it gave her. And even if she didn't, she could always come here whenever she visited April.

She was so deep in thought that she almost jumped out of her skin when Nick came up to her and asked, "Enjoying the view?"

Turning to look at him, Sophia answered, "Yeah. I am." She looked back at the scenery. "Man. I can't believe I don't do this more often. It's so freaking perfect."

"You're right. It _is_. And so are you."

Sophia snorted.

"No. I'm serious."

"Please. I'm far from perfect, Nick."

"See. That's what makes you so great. You don't know how amazing you are."

Curious, Sophia looked at the blonde, eyebrow raised. "Oh, yeah? What makes me so 'amazing'?"

It didn't take long for Nick to begin listing off his reasons. "Well, for one, you stand out from the crowd, and not just because of the way you look."

"What's wrong with the way I look?"

"Nothing."

Sophia shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "So, you're not put off by my piercings? My tats? My wardrobe? My glasses? My _hair_?"

"No. No, of course not. Why would you ever think that?" asked Nick, actually sincere.

"Well," began Sophia, twirling a lock of hair. "Everywhere I go, people see me as a freak because of how I look. I know that's mostly on me since I choose to look this way. I'd like to say I don't care, but there's always that rare occasion where I _do_. But, honestly, I'd rather take those mean looks and loud whispers over being who I use to be."

A moment of silence passed between them before Nick asked, "And why's that, Sophia?"

Sophia bit her bottom lip, unsure of how to handle this. "Well. . . . When I was younger, like, before my sophomore year of high school, I use to get picked on a lot because I was the weird, quiet kid who sat alone during lunch, who'd invite people to her birthday party that no one would show up to.

"When I got into, like, my freshman year, I was tired of how people would ignore me, how they'd treat me like I was nothing. So, the day before my first day of ninth grade, I went out and I bought myself everything I'd need to become a part of the crowd: makeup, new shoes, hair products, cloths to wear once school was over (we had to wear this ugly navy blue and grey uniform). I changed my attitude, how I treated people. I'm. . . I'm not proud of who I became, but I'd gotten what I wanted. I was _real_. I _existed_. I was _popular_."

Okay. That was the easy part. Now came the hard stuff.

"My older brother, Drake, hated who I'd become. He told me that he didn't even know who I was anymore. He called me a two-facer because I was two people at once. At school, when I was around my crowd, I was this mean, nasty bitch who treated others like shit and got away with it; the girl who partied hard and got so drunk I'd get blackouts. When I was home I was the girl who actually cared about school, about people. I was weird, crazy, and fun. I was _me _when I was around him. It got so bad that we'd end up fighting most nights."

Nope. She lied. _This _was the hard part.

"Towards the end of my freshman year, my brother was coming home from a party. His friends were so freakin' drunk that they couldn't even stand, let alone drive. So my brother, who never had a single drink in his life, decided to be a good friend and take them home." Sophia could feel the familiar pang she felt whenever she talked or thought about what happened with Drake. "It was rainy, so rainy that you could hardly see anything in front of you. They were about a few miles away from their first stop when one of them had the bright idea to play a joke on Drake. He. . . he reached across and screwed up the wheel. Drake lost control of the car because of it and ended up drifting into the other lane."

Tears began to fall down Sophia's face, but she kept going. "A semi hit them head-on. It killed Drake instantly. But do you want to know what's so freaking screwed up? Those four morons _lived_ and he didn't. The one person who was actually responsible and was actually driving the way you should during a storm like that _died_!"

That's when she lost it. Sophia's body shook as she sobbed, hands covering her face, eyes shut tight. She felt Nick wrap her in his arms, bringing her close to his body. She hated crying, especially in public, but gosh dangit! Drake always made her cry, especially when she thought of what had happened to him.

"Shh. It's okay. It's okay," he whispered, rubbing circles on her back.

When she'd finally calmed down enough to breathe right, Sophia took in a shaky breath and continued on. "I'd never been that affected by anything before. Drake, he was my. . . my friend. My _best _friend. I looked up to him, you know? He was never afraid to be himself or stand up for what he believed in. He was everything I longed to be.

"The funeral, thank goodness, was less than a week before finals. Going back to that school where all of my 'friends' were hurt, especially when they whispered behind my back and avoided me like if they even got near me they'd die, too. As soon as I was done with school for the year, I locked myself up in my room. I didn't leave my house for weeks. I just felt so alone.

"One day, as I sat in my bed, staring into the unknown, something just. . . clicked. I thought about how Drake would react if he saw what I was doing to myself. He'd say something like, 'Hey! Freak! Get your ass out of bed. You've got a life to live.' It was that thought that got me back on track.

"The first thing I did was run to do convince store where I bought the first hair dye I saw. Then, after that, I shut myself in my bathroom and dyed my hair. Mom and Dad were pissed, yeah, but at least I'd gotten some fresh air. From that day on, I did a complete turnaround. I transferred schools, got rid of the horrible clique girl, and became myself - the _real _me. It was the least I could do, to honor my brother's memory." A dry, cynical laugh escaped Sophia's raw throat. "Some good I'm doing with that. I keep screwing it up."

"You're not screwing up your brother's memory. That's totally impossible. People aren't always going to look at you and say, 'Gee. That girl's ruining her brother for me.' That's just impossible. To be honest, I think your brother would be proud of who you've become. You're smart, beautiful on the inside and outside, and you're not like any other girl I've ever met. I mean, who can say they know someone like you? You were the first to come up and talk to Billy and me. You didn't care if other people talked bad about you because you were with us. I mean, sure, you've made the occasional mistake or two, but that's life. And you've always picked yourself up, brushed the dust off of your hands, and kept on going.

"Sophia White, you are the most amazing girl I've met in a long time."

"Really? I am?" Sophia asked, wiping her nose with her Iron-Man hoodie sleeve, swollen eyes wide.

"Really," said Nick, squeezing her shoulder.

Before Sophia could thank Nick for the talk he had with her, some incoherent chanting came from the side. Turning their heads, Sophia and Nick saw a staggering Lyle, still a bit buzzed-over from their adventure, fiddling with his android.

"Lyle!" called out Nick, walking towards the rest of the group, Sophia close behind him. "Looks like you hit it off with Saffron tonight."

"I'm texting her that I love her, and I'm sending her this picture I just took of Little Lyle when he made pee in the bushes. Look, he's winking," said Lyle as he showed Billy and Neha the sext he wanted to send.

"Lyle. That's a _horrible _idea. Please don't do it. You're too drunk for your own good."

"I appreciate your concern, but I'm _flying _baby," said Lyle with a little, smug smirk.

"Okay. Lyle, you're not flying," Billy said, agreeing with Nick. "What's one-seventeen squared?"

"Two-eighty-nine, why?" answered Lyle, wondering how this proved anything.

Seeing that his plan didn't work, Billy turned to Nick. "Ah, give me a harder question than that."

"Try, ah, maybe the square root of seventeen?" suggested Stuart.

"Four-point-two-three, maybe?" said Lyle, unsure of his answer.

A look of _ah-ha_ came over Nick. "_That's _the app we should do right there." When his teammates didn't get what he was saying, Nick further explained his thought. "Some quiz question you've gotta answer before you can send a drunk text or a drunk email or drunk phone call. Something to protect you from yourself."

"Nick, that's brilliant!" exclaimed Sophia, blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Can we do that?" Billy asked Neha.

"Hecks yeah we can do that," was her reply.

"You kiddin' me? I can program the crap outta that ho on the bus ride home," Yo-Yo agreed, voice husky from his drunken experience.

"Well, I'll take that as an over-whelming yes," said Billy.

"Come on! Let's get back to HQ," Nick said as every one began heading back to the Google bus stop.

"Hey, well, wait," protested Stuart. "Let's stay a few more minutes, you know? Let's enjoy the view a little more."

"Sounds good to me," said Sophia, nodding her head, the rest of the crew in agreement.

As they took their seats, Billy and Nick couldn't help but give Stuart impressed looks, like they were proud of him for finally taking a step back and enjoying life as it was. Since there was no room available at the other picnic table, Sophia shared the other with a nearly passed out Yo-Yo - who was spread across it on his stomach- and Stuart. Sitting down on Stuart's left, Sophia leaned back. She was shocked when he wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders. She glanced at him from under her curtain of hair, checking his reaction. He only stared ahead, like the action was no big deal (and it probably wasn't to him).

Smiling, Sophia leaned her head on his shoulder, letting her body relax as Team Lyle sat in silence, enjoying the rest of the rare and once in a lifetime moment.

* * *

**I would like to think all of you who have followed, favorite, and reviewed. You guys ROCK! Remember, don't be afraid to leave a review. I promise you I won't bite :)**

**~Edited 07/17/14~**


	6. Sophia and Stuart's Epic Adventure

**Just a friendly reminder that there's only a few more chapters until _Noogler_'s over. ****Now, with that lovely thought, why don't we begin?**

* * *

"The whole world looks like a giant, spinning pin wheel of death right now," said Stuart from where he reclined, beanie hat covering his eyes.

"Price of making memories, Stewy," Nick reminded his young friend, head leaned back, eyes closed.

"I think my liver hurts," moaned Yo-Yo from the coach, resting on his side, a trash can near his head incase he vomited.

"So. Tired," mumbled Sophia, head resting on Neha's lap.

As soon as they'd gotten back to Google, the members of Team Lyle all stumbled back to their rooms to get ready for the day. Sophia couldn't speak for the rest of the group, but she felt like she was going to pass out from exhaustion. A hot shower didn't help much and neither did clean clothes or coffee. In fact, she felt even more sleepy than she did before. When she was as ready as she could be, Sophia somehow miraculously made it back to the place she was to meet her teammates.

"Astonishingly, your app has received more downloads than any other team," said a voice, jerking Sophia awake. As she sat up, eyes wide, glasses askew, she saw none other than Mr. Chetty, expression still as unreadable as ever. "It appears you've won your second challenge."

_Won? __We won another challenge?!_

Sophia couldn't help but let a small smile show, bloodshot eyes shinning in the light.

"Hey! How about it!" said Billy, fist bumping Neha as his teammates clapped and gave excited whoops.

Suddenly, as if perfectly timed, Yo-Yo jerked upright, red trashcan gripped in his hands as he threw up. Mr. Chetty looked at the intern with narrowed eyes, a look of disgust etched on his facial features. Sophia gagged, covering her mouth with her hand, gaze fixed on the floor as Yo-Yo let it all out.

Nick patted Yo-Yo's back. "He gets over-excited," he answered for Yo-Yo.

"Lovely," was Mr. Chetty's sarcastic reply before he turned and left the group of outcasts.

Once Mr. Chetty was no longer in view, Sophia dropped her head back on Neha's open lap, closed her eyes, and immediately fell asleep.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

The following two weeks were some of the best days of Sophia's life. Since the night of the Happy Accident (as Billy called it), the group had grown closer, their friendships growing stronger as the days went by. They spent basically every single moment together, hanging out during their free hours, eating their meals together, and even working better as a team.

They didn't win every challenge. However, because of the bond they'd formed they came pretty gosh darn close to succeeding in everything they did. They recognized each others abilities, allowing those who knew how to do certain tasks best to take the lead.

Despite the rough start Sophia and Neha shared towards the beginning of the program, they were now pretty close. In fact, Sophia could see the two of them remaining friends in the future if they stayed in contact after the summer was over. The relationship she shared with Billy and Nick was even stronger thanks to the time they'd spent at the Golden Gate Bridge. They were like her big brothers, always there for her and willing to listen to her. It was nice having a relationship like this again. She'd missed it greatly. Lyle proved himself to be a loyal and trustworthy friend and teammate. He now owned a better confidence in his leadership skills, much to his group of interns delight. Even though Yo-Yo and Sophia were far from close, they still maintained a good friendship. The same went for Stuart and she. However, the relationship the two shared changed late one night.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

It all started when Sophia found herself wide awake, staring at the ceiling in hopes that it would help her fall asleep. When it didn't work, she sighed. Why was life so hard?

Rolling her head towards her alarm clock, Sophia blinked against the bright, red numbers until she could read the time: eleven-thirty-five. So late, and yet so early.

Releasing a dramatic sigh, Sophia splayed her arms across her bed. She wasn't tired. Why wasn't she tired? She had another challenge tomorrow that her team needed her to be well-rested for. That's when the thoughts that always appeared when she couldn't sleep arrived, filling her mind with crazy theories and ideas. _("How cool would it be if an elephant wore a Batman costume?" "I__ wish squirrels came in every color of the rainbow. I'd totally buy one." "If toasters were living, breathing things, what would they say and/or think of?" "Maybe the reason our ears ring is because angels are trying to talk to us and the reason why we're not deaf yet is because they're whispering very, very, very, _very _quietly. So very quietly.")_

"Shut up, brain," growled Sophia, wrapping a pillow around her head.

_Then do something_, her brain snapped.

Sophia was about to make a smart retort when it finally clicked. Her brain had a point. If she did something, not only would her brain stop talking, but maybe, just maybe, it would actually entertain her until she finally became too exhausted to stand.

Sitting up, Sophia said, "Brain. You are a genius."

_I try_, her brain said.

But what to do, Sophia wondered. And that's when it hit her. The perfectly impulsive idea that would make any wanderlust junkie proud.

Jumping out of bed, Sophia put her glasses on, slipped into a pair of UGGs, found the lanyard which held her key, grabbed a hoodie, and left in search of her next big adventure.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

_Knock, knock, knock. _"Hey, Stuart. Are you still awake?"

When he didn't respond, she knocked again. When he still hadn't answered, Sophia sighed. She had just turned around when she heard Stuart's door open. On the other side stood Stuart, eyes squinted, his lamp's light outlining his form. "What is it?" he asked, annoyed.

Seeing that she had in fact disturbed Stuart, Sophia bit her bottom lip. "So, you were asleep?"

Stuart rubbed his eyes, glasses resting on top of his hand. "Yeah, actually, I was."

"Opps."

"What do you want, Sophia?" asked Stuart, ready to close the door on her if she didn't explain herself.

"Well, I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd go out and have a little fun."

Stuart gave her a look. "Really? That's what you woke me up for? To tell me you were going out?"

"Uh, no. Not really."

"Then why did you?"

Crossing her arms across her chest, Sophia gave him a look of her own. "I wanted to tell you that I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure."

Stuart raised one of his dark eyebrows. "Did you just ask me to join you by quoting _Gandalf_?"

"You bet I did," she said with a smirk.

"Why don't you go ask someone else?"

Sophia held up one of her hands and began to list off their friends' reactions. "Neha told me to 'eff off' before she stabbed me to death with a stiletto, Yo-Yo almost slammed me in the face with his door, and Lyle wouldn't even open his."

"Go ask Billy or Nick."

"I don't want to do something with them. I just did something with them last night," whined Sophia, lip brought out in a pout.

Frustrated, Stuart rubbed his eyes with his hand, as if he were saying, 'why won't you just leave me alone?'

"Come on, please? Just for an hour or two. I promise I'll be good. We won't even stay out that long," Sophia rambled off, hoping that he'd give in. When he still hadn't given his answer, Sophia said, "I won't leave until you say yes."

"Yeah, right. Like you'd do that."

Sophia fixed her stubborn gaze on Stuart. "Try me," she dared.

Realizing that she wouldn't give up, Stuart shook his head in defeat. "Just let me get dressed first."

"What's wrong with what you've got on?"

"Um, I'm in _sweatpants._"

Sophia shrugged her shoulders. "So? Who cares? I'm going out in my PJs. No one's going to care, anyway."

"Fine. Just, just let me get my key," said Stuart, not in the mood to get into an argument about clothing. Not even a minute later, Stuart returned wearing his beanie, his usual hoodie, and a pair of sneakers. He closed his door behind him, locking it before looking at Sophia who was bouncing where she stood.

"Great! Let's get going," she said, taking off towards the elevator, stopping to wait for her slowly moving friend. The silver doors opened a few seconds after he arrived. "Aren't you a little young to be an old man?" Sophia teased.

Stuart glared at Sophia before he gave her a mischievous smile

"What?" she asked, confused, worried that he'd make her regret saying what she'd said.

"Nothing. I was just wondering if the reason you dye your hair is because you're starting to get grey hair."

If you had stood on the outside of the elevator, you would have seen Sophia - mouth agape - and a smirking Stuart as the doors slid closed. You would have also heard someone say, "Ow."

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

"So, let me get this straight. You have _seven _brothers?" asked Sophia, hoping she'd gotten it right.

"Yeah. That's right," confirmed Stuart, taking a bite of the cheeseburger he'd ordered. "Two of them are younger than me."

"Dude, that's a lot of siblings. I only had my older brother," said Sophia. A brief feeling of grief filled Sophia's chest before she shoved it down. She sipped the last few sips of her turtle milkshake until she was sipping air. "It must be great. Having siblings."

"Not really. Usually they just piss me off. We don't really get along, especially when it comes to my older brothers."

"Funny. Drake and I didn't always get along, but we still had a great relationship," said Sophia, playing with the remainder of her chocolate chip pancakes. "They must suck balls if you don't like each other."

"Saying that they 'suck balls' is an understatement. They're the biggest dicks I've ever met. Well, them and Graham."

"Oh, yes. How could we forget about the biggest dick of them all?" Sophia gained a melancholic appearance. "We're horrible people, Stuart." She threw her hands up in the air. "How do we live with ourselves?!"

"It's because people like us don't give a crap about what other people think," deadpanned Stuart, face monotone.

The interns burst out into laughter.

"Well, sounds like you two are having fun," said their waitress, an amused smile on her face. "Here's your check."

When they thanked her, she turned and moved on to her next table. Sophia took the black book, opened it, and frowned at what she saw.

"What is it?" asked Stuart, curious about what she'd seen.

"I cost more than you." Before he could even utter a word, Sophia turned the check so he could see. "There. See? I'm three dollars more than you." She shook her head in shame. "I knew I shouldn't have gotten that milkshake."

An amused look came over Stuart. "Really? _That's _what's got you upset?"

"Wouldn't you?" she asked. "But, I made my choice, and now I must pay the price." Sophia placed a ten-dollar bill on the table. "Ten bucks, that is."

Stuart rolled his eyes. "You're surprisingly stupid."

"And _you're _surprisingly rude," said Sophia, giving her friend a wink. "Come on. Let's pay up."

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

The next place Stuart and Sophia went after leaving the twenty-four hour diner was the park across the street. There, they walked and talked, discussing some of the most random things. They even talked a little bit about the events that had happened since the night they spent at the strip club. Sometime during this, they came across a tiny playground, abandoned for the night. At the sight of this, Sophia squealed in delight and took off running towards the swing set.

"What the hell are you doing?" called out Stuart, watching as Sophia skidded to a halt in front of the metal plaything.

"What does it look like?" said Sophia, sitting down on a rubber swing. "I'm going to embrace my inner child and swing. You should join me!"

Instead of getting the response she wanted, Stuart said, "You're twenty-one years old. Get back here."

In retaliation, Sophia began pumping her legs, gaining momentum as she went. "Screw you. I do what I want. You can either join me or stand there, but I'm not stopping anytime soon." Sophia, pretending to tune him out, began humming the first song that popped into her mind. From the corner of her eye, Sophia watched as Stuart shook his head, kicked his foot, and began walking towards the swing set, sitting down on the one to Sophia's right. As Sophia swung back, she gave him a smug little grin. "Hey! Glad you finally made the right choice."

"Shut up."

Placing her feet in front of her, Sophia skidded to a halt. "Hey. No need to be a party popper. I mean, what's so bad about having fun?"

"I'm not against having fun, and I'm not against this."

Sophia tilted her head, wondering what was bothering him. "Then what's wrong? And don't say that there isn't. I may not have known you long, Stuart, but I think I've picked up enough to know when you're upset."

"You think I'm upset?"

"Well, yeah. A little, at least," Sophia stumbled out, hoping that she hadn't pushed him away or made him angry. The young woman leaned her forehead against her swing's cool chain. "So, what's on your mind, Stuart?"

"I don't get it."

"Get what?"

"Get how you're so. . . . I don't know."

"Me?"

"Yeah. I guess that's a good way to put it." Looking Sophia in the eye, Stuart asked, "You had a brother, right? And your life has been far from perfect from what I've heard from you, so how did you find what you have?"

"Bit of a touchy subject, don't you think?" she chuckled. "Honestly, I don't know. I guess you can say my brother's death kind of woke me up. He wasn't happy with my decisions and wanted me to do better than what I was putting myself through. He saw the best in me and wanted me to live the life he knew I deserved. I'm not going to lie when I say I was probably one of the biggest bitches you would have had the displeasure to meet.

"I was fine on the outside, but I hated myself on the inside. Basically, I realized that if you're not living life to the fullest or to the best of your abilities then you're basically screwing yourself over." Looking straight ahead, Sophia finished with, "I'd rather be myself than a fake."

A few moments of silence settled between them until Stuart broke it. "Expectations."

She looked at her friend, confused. "Huh?"

"Expectations. It's the reason why I don't get along well with my family," explained Stuart. "My brothers, they've all succeeded in life, even my younger ones, and one of them just finished high school. My parents have always compared me to them, always telling me that I'm being 'lazy' and 'careless'. 'Stuart, why can't you get into MIT like Patrick.' 'At least _seven _of our children have done something with their life.' 'Why can't you do anything right?' 'At least Jamie and Kyle have _five _responsible, intelligent older brothers.'"

Stuart's knuckles turned white from gripping his chains too hard as he suppressed tears from filling his gaze. "My brothers I get, but my _parents_? The two people who are suppose to support me and make sure that I succeed? It's total bull crap. Total shit." Stuart slammed his fists against the two metal chains. "It's total _SHIT!" _The twenty-one-year-old bowed his head, placed his hands behind his head, and clenched his teeth to keep himself from crying.

He felt a light touch on his back, causing him to glance up from underneath his eyelashes. Sophia, the girl with blue and pink hair, the girl with multiple ear piercings and a single nose pierce, the girl who had a strange way of looking at the world, looked at him. But it wasn't of pity and it wasn't a look that told him she knew how he felt. It was a look that read, 'I'm here for you.'

"I'd say that it's okay, but it's not. The way your parents treat you is one of the most disgusting things I've ever heard. And I wish your brothers stood up for you instead of leaving you to be treated like that. But you know what? They're wrong. You're not a failure. You've succeeded far beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Besides, it's their loss if they can't accept you the way that you are."

At her words, Stuart looked up at his friend, a mix between amazement and confusion covering every inch of his face.

"What? What is it?"

"Nothing, it's just. . . . You're not who I thought you were."

Sophia gave him a questioning look. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Good," he said with a small smile.

"Then I'll take that as a complement." Pumping her legs, Sophia resumed swinging. "I bet you can't go higher than me."

"Oh, really?" said Stuart. "You think that you're better than me?"

"I don't think. I _know."_

"Is that a challenge?"

"Why, I do believe that it is, Mr. Twombly."

"I'd hate to break it to you, but I'm the better swinger."

"Oh, yeah? Prove it," challenged Sophia.

In response, Stuart began pumping his legs, trying to catch up to and exceed Sophia's height and speed.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

On the walk back to the apartments, the sky began to cloud as the air possessed the signs of a storm. Sure enough, about a block-and-a-half away from home, the rain came pouring down.

"Shit," said Stuart.

"Yes!" exclaimed Sophia, rushing forward, twirling around in circles as she did so.

"What are you doing?"

"Dancing," giggled Sophia, palms facing upwards, tongue sticking out of her mouth to collect the rain. "Mmm. Rain water."

"We need to get back to our rooms before we're soaked," Stuart protested, walking up to Sophia.

"We're already wet. Let's just enjoy ourselves." Sophia struck a rock star pose and sang in an out-of-pitch voice, "_She's a maniac. MANIAC! Uh-ah."_

"Shh! It's the middle of the night," hissed Stuart.

Sophia rolled her eyes. "Come on, Stuart. Lighten up. Have some fun! You haven't lived until you've danced in the rain." Cupping her hands, Sophia let the water fill them up. When she'd gathered a decent amount, Sophia splashed it on Stuart. "Tag! You're it!" she shouted before she took off.

Soon, she heard Stuart's footsteps heavily pound against the side-walk as he ran to catch up to her. Before she knew, he'd wrapped his arms around her waist. "Tag. You're it."

"No fair! You're taller than me," she whined, head hanging.

"What's that, shorty?"

"Ha, ha. _Very _funny. And just so you know," said Sophia when he'd let her go. "I'm about the average height for my age."

"Five-foot-six," he coughed.

"I'm four inches shorter than you!"

"Whatever."

Sophia nudged him with her shoulder. Stuart nudged her back.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

They soon reached the lobby of their apartment where they now stood in front of the elevator, waiting for it to arrive.

"I've got to say, that was so much fun," said Sophia, hair dripping-wet.

"Yeah. It was," agreed Stuart.

When the elevator arrived, it dinged. The silver doors sluggishly slid open. The young adults entered and pressed Sophia's floor. The two remained silent as they lazily drifted upwards, the familiar creaks and groans it made filling the space. Finally, after a couple of seconds, they reached Sophia's destination.

"Well, I guess this is good-night. See you tomorrow, Stuart."

"Sophia," said Stuart, putting his hand on the door to prevent it from closing.

"Yeah?" asked Sophia, eyes fixed on her friend.

"I, um, I just wanna say. . . ."

"Yeah?" said Sophia, heart beating against her chest.

"I. . . ." Stuart rubbed the back of his head with his free hand and took a deep breath. "Thanks."

The two unblinkingly stared at each other, the sound of their breaths the only sound that could be heard. Finally, after what could have been an eternity, Sophia blinked, nodded her head, and said, "You're welcome."

"Great," said Stuart, lightly pounding his fist against the doorframe. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Yeah. I guess so."

And with that, the two parted ways, heading for their rooms for what was left of the night.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

Because of this late-night adventure, and the conversation they'd shared at the park, Sophia and Stuart's friendship became even stronger, so strong that they eventually considered the other their best friend. Little did they know how great of an impact they'd had on each other.

* * *

**Thanks to all who have reviewed, favorited, and alerted _Noogler_. You guys are totally awesome :)**

**So, did I do a good job with the original scenes? Did I divert too far from Stuart's character? Is the relationship between Sophia and Stuart too cheesy and/or unbelievable? Please feel free to tell me what you think.**

**Until next time, see you later! **

**~Edited 07/17/14~**


	7. Google Helpline

Two months had passed since the night of Sophia and Stuart's epic adventure. To say that they were close was an understatement. They were basically inseparable.

As the first to last challenge quickly approached, Sophia couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness fill her. She wasn't ready to say good-bye to her teammates who'd become the most amazing friends she could ever ask for. Luckily, they still had some time before the end of the program. But still. The inevitable was stuck inside Sophia's mind.

She didn't wanted summer to ever end.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

"Only two challenges remain. After which a mere handful of you will be offered full-time employment," said Mr. Chetty, the leader of the seminar that the groups were attending.

Sophia listened carefully, making sure that she paid attention to every detail, to every instruction Mr. Chetty said.

"Now, the next challenge is manning the Google helpline. This is one of the most difficult jobs we have, combining both customer relations and product fluency."

Great. Just what Sophia wanted to hear. She suppressed a dramatic sigh. The last thing she needed was to be scolded in front of everyone.

The giant screen behind Mr. Chetty changed. Bubbles based off of the colors of Google appeared, each holding words like Chrome, Gmail, and Earth. "You will be judged on both."

Yay judgment! Boy, this was going to be _sweet_.

"This is a very tight race right now. I suggest you study up."

Study. Okay, now that she could do. Not the best thing in the world, but she knew how to study for tests and whatnot. Once Mr. Chetty finished his speech, he walked off of the stage, handing the microphone he'd used to one of the assistants.

"Alright, gang. Let's get going. We've got a lot of studying to do," said Lyle, closing his laptop and getting up from where he sat.

After Sophia placed her computer into her side bag and had grabbed her bottle of apple juice, Neha linked arms with her. "We're _so_ going to win this. I mean, we'll need to study our asses off, but we're still going to _totally_ win this."

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Neha dear," said Sophia, nudging her friend in the shoulder.

"Oh, my gosh, Sophia. You're killing my high!" groaned Neha.

"Well, you know me. I'm a liferuiner _and_ a buzz kill."

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

Team Lyle had studied for the past three hours. Lyle, after the group study session, told them that they were going to move on to the next step. Telling the interns to get ready, Lyle then began going from one of his teammates to the next, throwing out questions to see how they reacted and how fast they answered.

"Authorization failure with Google drive, Neha?" he asked.

"Permission's probably changed. Request document access," she replied.

"Bam!" Lyle sat beside Nick. "Chrome connectivity issue, Nick?"

"Unselect proxy server for your land."

"Nice." The twenty-three-year-old got up and moved on to Billy. "Billy, I'm locked out of my Google wallet account."

"Is that, ah, Gmail or wallet help?" asked Billy, confused.

"I don't know, sir, that's kind of what I called you for."

"Alright," said Billy, turning around so he could face Lyle. "Here's the deal. I'm pretty terrific on the phones. I can sell anything to anyone, no problem."

"Except you're not here to sell anything," said Yo-Yo, showing Stuart something he'd figured out.

"Yeah, Billy. You're not going to be able to bullshit yourself through this one. I mean, the only way to nail this challenge is to study. You've just got to do it, man," further explained Stuart.

"Hate to say it, but they're right," agreed Sophia, shifting her glasses so they weren't crocked. "We've got to push through it, Billy."

Billy, who looked even more discouraged than before, shrugged his shoulders. Turning back around to face his computer, Billy said, "Well, great. Then study up. I'm gonna study up as well."

Lyle patted Billy on the shoulder, ready to resume the study session, when Billy asked another question. "Let me ask you. Is there, like, just as a general rule - like a blanket statement - that I could say that could apply to literally anything? And then I'm either going to shove product down their face, right, or I'm going to give them another hotline?"

"What you are exactly is tech support, so what would happen if you referred them to another phone number is that your phone would ring again 'cause you'd be the number they'd be referring to," said Lyle, hoping to further explain what he could and couldn't do.

"Well, what I'm suggesting is to give me the blanket thing, so I'm not necessarily wrong, but I'm not necessarily right. And then I'll hit them with another helpline, a _real _helpline, or I'll push some product down their throat. Do you want me to shove some product down their throat, 'cause I'll do it."

"Actually, I think you're working harder than you have to. All you have to do is click the button and read," said Lyle, pointing to a certain object on the computer screen.

Defeated, Billy clicked the button that Lyle was referring to. "I got it."

"Bam! Done. Read it."

"I got it. I'll do it."

"That's my man, Bill. Great. How's everybody else doing?"

Sophia frowned. She felt horrible. Billy obviously didn't feel comfortable with this challenge. To be honest, Sophia would rather not do this challenge, either. After sharing a sad look with Stuart and Yo-Yo, the interns resumed studying. This was going to be a long day.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

"I'm worried about Billy," admitted Sophia to Stuart.

Stuart, who was tossing a tennis ball in the air, his head on her lap, answered, "Yeah. But he'll get it."

"I know," sighed Sophia. "But still. I just feel bad." Sophia looked down at Stuart. "I can't believe he didn't want our help."

"He didn't want us to waste our time when we should be studying."

"We're wasting time right now," mumbled Sophia.

"No, we're not. We're studying."

Sophia glanced at her laptop, the page they'd been using for the past twenty minutes or so glowing. She leaned against the tree the two of them were sitting under. "How much longer until we can take a break?"

"About half-an-hour," answered Stuart, still tossing the ball.

"So. Freaking. Far. Away," moaned Sophia while rubbing her temples, eyes closed.

"'We've got to push through it', Sophia," said Stuart, quoting his teammate from earlier.

"Ha, ha." Sophia reached her hand out at the speed of a viper striking its prey and snatched Stuart's toy. "Why do I even bother spending my precious time with you?"

"Why do _you? _The question should be why do I waste my time on you?" retorted Stuart, trying to get his tennis ball back.

"Easy. You love me too much to give me up." Sophia released her hold on the ball, dropping it back in his hand. "Besides, you'd be lost without me," she said with a smirk.

Stuart twisted his face to mock her before he resumed playing with his toy. "Okay, so your Chrome's down, right?"

"Right," she confirmed, looking back at the instructions displayed.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

The following morning wasn't very fun. Getting up was even less fun. Knowing that you'd have to tackle one of the toughest challenges ever was even worse. Even with the temptation of coffee and a hot shower, Sophia had rather been in her bed, sleeping the day away. But, alas, she could not.

She didn't even bother waiting for her group. She just got up, got ready, and left. When Sophia arrived at the place the challenge was to take place, she saw that Billy was already there, sitting in front of a computer. "Hey," said Sophia, taking the seat on his right. "How's it going?"

"Oh, it's goin', Miss Sophia. It's goin' great!" said Billy more confidently than she expected.

"You're in a good mood."

"I am. I'm so ready for this challenge."

"So all that studying paid off?"

"Yeah. It did. I was up all night studying."

Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Literally or figuratively?"

"Literally, baby. I pushed on through hunger and exhaustion to get this puppy under my belt."

All night? It was great that Billy felt like he could do this (it was a big improvement from yesterday), but pulling an all-nighter? Sophia had taken a couple hour break around six to get dinner and watch a movie with Lyle, Yo-Yo, Neha, and Stuart before hitting the books again until eleven at night.

"Aren't you tired?" Sophia asked, head titled in curiosity.

"A little, but I'm fine, baby. Once we win this thing, the first thing I'll do is sleep in my bed."

"I bet," she chuckled.

A couple of minutes later, other people began to arrive, taking their seats, waiting for the start of the challenge. When it was ten o'clock, Mr. Chetty began to speak. "Good-morning. Welcome to Google Helpline. You will man the phones for exactly one hour. Before you begin, remember to log into your Google account. When the hour is up, you will hit the blue button so we can review your files later. The helpline is open now."

Not even a second later, the interns picked up their headsets and answered their phones.

"Google Helpline. This is Sophia. How may I help you today?"

_"I can't log in to my Google account. It says that there's an error every time I try to sign in."_

Oh! Sophia knew this one. It was one of the first few things Lyle had taught her and her teammates. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

"Time's up!" said Mr. Chetty, signaling the end of the challenge.

Sophia took off her headset, feeling pretty good about how she handled everything. She'd gotten a fair amount of callers, if she said so herself. Billy was even more excited, especially when Team Lyle had a small celebration to congratulate each other on a job well done.

"Please don't forget to submit your log files so I can review them later," reminded Mr. Chetty.

Oh! Right. Phew. Thank goodness he said something. Sophia probably would have walked away without doing so. Moving her mouse until the arrow was on top of the blue button, Sophia clicked it, submitting her work. She couldn't help but smile at this. This challenge proved how much she hoped she didn't get assigned to Helpline if she was ever hired in.

"Mine's not clicking. Mine's grey. Is anyone else's grey?" asked Billy, drawing in everyone's attention.

"What do you mean yours is grey?" asked Sophia, trying to catch a glimpse of Billy's screen.

"The log file button. It's not blue."

Not blue? That's not good. If that were so, then that meant-

"Did you not hear my opening remarks?" asked Mr. Chetty as he approached Billy.

"Yeah, no. I heard most of your opening remarks. It's just that I was getting in the zone. I was pregaming."

"You needed to log into your account so I can review your work later."

"Well, the good news is that you reviewed my work now. You don't need the instant replay 'cause you saw all the touch downs in person," Billy rambled off.

"I really don't understand that analogy, but I do know that attention to detail is of paramount importance here; and my instructions were explicit. If there was no recording, then it is as if you didn't even show up today."

Sophia's heart dropped inside of her chest. That couldn't be. That wasn't fair. It wasn't _fair_.

"Except I _did _show up. I'm sitting right here, Chetty."

"Well, according to your log," - Mr. Chetty leaned over Billy's shoulder to look at the computer screen - "you're not. And since every member of your team needs to complete the challenge in order to be scored," - Shoot, no. - "your team will, unfortunately, receive a score of zero."

"WHAT!?" Sophia covered her mouth as soon as the word had slipped her lips, eyes wide in horror from what she'd just done.

Giving her death glare, Mr. Chetty asked, "Is there a problem, Miss White?"

Choosing her next words very carefully, Sophia placed her hands on her lap, eyes looking on the floor. "No, Mr. Chetty. There isn't."

"Good." Mr. Cheety turned his sight back on Billy. "Well done, Mr. McMahon. Perhaps more studying, less pudding. Hmm?"

"Chetty, come on!" begged Nick as the Indian man left the room. "You're not going to trip us on a technicality? He's right here!"

Sophia could only stare after Mr. Chetty as he disappeared.

"Oh, Billy, Billy, Billy," said Graham, popping up from behind his cubicle wearing a smug, little grin. "What have you done?" Looking at the older man's teammates, Graham pointed at them in turn as he addressed them. "It's you lot I feel bad for. It's really hard to get here. Some of you are probably pretty intelligent. You deserve better. I'm sorry."

"I, I studied for the test," said Billy, weakly.

Sophia, hearing this, got up from her seat and wrapped her arms around him. "You did your best," she whispered. Letting go of Billy, Sophia left for Lyle's office.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

Five minutes later, most of Team Lyle had gathered inside of their team leader's tiny office.

"That's great. That's another win for 'Team Graham'," said Stuart.

"Oh, you mean Team Dick?" Sophia corrected her friend.

"Now's not the time to be funny, Sophia," scolded Yo-Yo.

Sophia held up her hands in surrender. "Whatever. Thought I'd just lighten the mood."

"There's only one challenge left. Even if we're perfect it won't be enough."

Sophia leaned into her bent knees. "Way to be positive, Yo-Yo," she mumbled.

"We had him, too," said Neha, bringing the conversation back on course before it led to an argument.

"We did, but it. . . it was just a little hiccup, a little adversity," said Nick, trying to find something positive about of the situation.

"No, Nick, come on. Face it," piped up Stuart. "Look. Billy's a great guy and everything, but he kind of blew it for us today."

Nick, uncomfortable with how his best friend had been brought up, tried to dance around the fact that he'd messed up. "Yeah, I know, but-"

"The kid's right, Nick."

At the sound of Billy's voice, the interns looked at their teammate, guilt filling their hearts.

"I just wanted to come by and let you guys know that I did study last night. I tried my best. It's just that, ah. . . . You know, today on the phones it's. . . it's my fault, and, ah. He was right. You guys deserve better. I'm really sorry that I cost ya." Billy looked like a kicked puppy dog. Sophia just couldn't take it.

As he turned to leave, Sophia asked, "You really believe everything Graham said? The one who's treated you and everyone else like crap since day one?"

Looking his young friend in the eye, Billy gave his answer. "Yeah. I do."

Before Sophia could say anything else, Billy turned and fled. Oh, no. He wasn't getting away from her that easily. When she began to follow him, Nick held up a hand, silently telling her to stop, before following Billy. All Sophia could do was remain where she stood, eyes starting at the ground. For all she knew they'd lost a valuable and important member of the team. She just hoped that Nick would be able to help their friend realize how much he meant to the team.

* * *

**~Edited 07/17/14~**


	8. Sal's

**A quick thank you to MarvelWorksWonders for saving my behind. I wouldn't have caught my mistake without you.**

* * *

The following day was the final challenge, which marked the end of the intern program. It was a bitter-sweet moment for Sophia. Bitter because it meant saying good-bye to her friends, sweet because it meant they had almost finished their three month long journey together as a team.

During the final seminar, Mr. Chetty announced the final challenge: Sales. That one word was enough to make Sophia smile. They had an advantage for this one. They had Nick and Billy. Actually, they only had Nick. Billy still hadn't showed up, making his younger teammates worry about him as well as wonder where he was.

The unfortunate news had been shared by Nick when Team Lyle gathered in their meeting room to figure out a strategy. Neha was the one who asked where their extremely tall friend was.

"He left," was Nick's raspy reply.

"Wait, what?" asked Sophia as she and her team halted in their steps.

Nick, who was now sitting on his desk's chair, told them what had happened. "You heard him. He thought he was holding us back, and he didn't want to talk about it (that's for sure)."

"We gotta get him back," said Neha, not even taking a minute to think about what Nick had said.

"She's right. We're all a team. That's what you guys taught us," added Yo-Yo.

"I mean, he might have been buried under, like, a _mountain _of obscure 80s references and, you know, just a ton of other super inappropriate bullshit that was intended as life lessons? But, I mean, he taught us how to come together. You taught us that," admitted Stuart with a shrug of his shoulders.

"The problem is when he makes up his mind on something, old Billy has a tendency to really dig-in," said Nick, as if this statement would explain everything. "We'll just have to get ready to do this one without him."

"Yeah, but Nick. We wouldn't want to," stated Lyle, speaking for the rest of the team. "Right guys?"

A moment of silence passed between them as they waited for Nick to figure something out.

"I'm not going anywhere until we figure out how to get Billy back," said Sophia, fixing her stubborn gaze upon Nick, arms crossed over her chest.

Nick, having realized that these kids meat business, nodded his head in defeat. "Alright," he said, slapping his kneecaps as he got up. "I'll go and find out where Billy's hiding. You five get stared, alright? "

"Roger, Roger," said Sophia with a nod of her head and a salute.

Nick returned her salute before exciting the room, leaving his team to get to work.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

"This sucks," said Sophia, leaning against the brick wall of Sal's Rocky Mountain Pizza Company, a slice of cheese pizza resting in one of her hands. "We're so pathetic. We can't even convince _one _company to be our _one_ customer."

When Sophia and her team left Google headquarters, they immediately began the quest to win over as many companies as they could to help them expand as a company. Without Billy, who'd run away after the Helpline incident, or Nick, who went after Billy, the five of them were as helpless as newborn kittens.

"At least we got pizza," said Yo-Yo, trying to find something else to think and talk about.

As if poorly timed, the sound of a bicycle bell filled the air as its rider rounded the corner. "Ahoy!" called Graham, his group of silent followers riding behind him.

"Oh, great," mumbled Neha. "This guy."

"Saw you check in on Foursquare, thought we'd stop by," Graham called out.

"That's really creepy," said Stuart.

"Stalker creepy, you mean," said Sophia.

"Is that all?" asked Stuart.

"It is all, actually," said Graham. "We just closed a deal with a coffee shop down the street."

Great. Just what they wanted to hear.

"Your chances at catching up to us went from zero to piss all. Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got to get to the final meeting. Get these jobs which we _so _profoundly deserve." Graham glanced over his shoulder, doing a double take when he saw one of his teammates looking at Lyle's team. "Zack. Eyes off the pizza, mate. God made you lactose intolerant for a reason, yeah? You're _so _fat. _So _fat."

With the comment he'd made to Sophia's team and the insult he gave his _own_ teammate, Sophia felt her blood begin to boil. Especially when she saw the hurt look upon Zack's face.

Lyle, who saw the rage Sophia now possessed, looked at her, eyes wide when he realized what was going on. "Sophia," he warned. But it was too late.

Sophia began to storm over to Graham's group as she shouted, "Hey! Asshole!"

Graham stopped, turned around to face her, and opened his mouth to say a stinging insult when his face was covered in a huge, greasy slice of pizza. Sophia rubbed the slice a couple of times around his face, making sure to get some of his hair, too. She released her hold on the triangular slice, finding satisfaction when it stayed in place.

"Now, you listen to me, Graham. Zack is your teammate and deserves to be treated as such. You will not call him fat or stupid or any other bull crap thing you can come up with. Believe me when I say you're the biggest dick I've ever had the displeasure to meet. I hope you realize how full of shit you are. Trust me, I know. I use to be just like you."

As she turned and began walking back to her friends, Graham said, "Don't think you'll get away with this!"

"Please. Like you'd want anyone to know that the 'freak girl' made you look and feel like a fool? If I were you, Graham, I'd keep my mouth shut," Sophia called over her shoulder.

Without looking, Sophia could tell that he was giving her a look between pissed and embarrassment. There was no way he'd tattle on her now.

Instead of doing what he would have done, Graham growled out to his team, "Let's go."

By the time Sophia had leaned against the wall again, the last couple members of his team began to move. She noticed the smile that was on Zack's face as he paddled away, trying to catch up with teammates. For a moment, no one said a word, still stunned and amazed by Sophia's actions.

Finally, Stuart was able to get out a, "Wow."

"Yep" she agreed.

"Did you just-"

"Yeah," Sophia interrupted Neha.

"And he-"

"Basically," Sophia agreed with Yo-Yo.

"How-"

"Long story, Lyle."

The honking of a horn prevented them from delving deeper into the conversation, for it was no an ordinary horn. It was the horn of the taxi which carried Nick. When the car stopped, _both_ of the backseat doors opened.

Lyle led the curious college students towards the cab, only stopping when both Nick and Billy stepped out. "Welcome back, Billy boy," said Lyle, bringing his group to a halt by the restaurant's front door.

"Good to be with you," said Billy.

"What happened in there?" Nick asked, refereeing to the disaster they did yet know about.

"Ah, well, he didn't bite, so it did not go well," said Yo-Yo, scratching the patch of skin where his right eyebrow use to be.

"You know who else it didn't go well for?" asked Billy.

Sensing a pep talk that could only be known as Billy's coming on, Stuart gladly said, "Lay it on us, Big Daddy."

"That's right. The little steel town girl, Alex. But when she finally got her shot in front of all of those stuffed shirts, she took a tumble and fell. You want to hear something totally nuts? She picked herself back up and she tightened that little butt and she pumped her legs. She danced herself right back into their hearts and into a slot at that dance school."

As Billy gave this speech, Nick had taken out a permanent marker and drew a line above Yo-Yo's eye, giving him a make-shift eyebrow. "And that's what we're going to do." Putting the cap back on, Nick turned and began to march into the restaurant. "Tighten your butts, let's go."

"Yes, sir," said Sophia, a smile on her face as she and her teammates followed Nick.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

When they re-entered the pizzeria, the owner's son looked up from the table he was cleaning. Billy and Nick stepped to the front of the group.

"Excuse us. We'd like to talk to the owner of this restaurant," said Nick.

"My dad already told you that he wasn't interested," said the man.

"I know he did, but we're just asking if we could rerepresent ourselves, convince him to reconsider his answer."

"Trust me. You won't regret it," added Billy.

The man looked between them before he gave a small smile. "I'll tell him that you're here. Until then, please take a seat at our counter," he said, motioning towards the place he wanted them to go.

Thanking him, they parted ways. Billy and Nick led their teammates to where the man wanted them to go and took a seat, the younger interns standing behind them. A couple of minutes later, the man reappeared with two plates and set them in front of Billy and Nick. "He'll be out here shortly."

"Okay. Alright. Thank you," said Nick.

Billy and Nick then picked up their slices and took a bite of the food. Both men's eyes lit up once the pizza met their taste buds.

"This is the best freakin' pizza I've had in years!" exclaimed Billy, holding his slice.

"I'll have to agree with you on that, Billy my man," agreed Nick.

Shortly after, the owner came up, a towel hand. Moving it in small circles, he got right down to business. "Listen, guys. We've always done things the same way. Yellow pages, flyers, San José Mercury News."

This is when the magic happened. Sophia and her friends watched as Billy and Nick began to use their talent in sales. Billy was the first to speak. "Look, we're all creatures of habit, am I right, Sal? We all like what we know. There's no question about it. But you know what the scariest thing in life is, the thing that frightens us the most? Change."

"And by the way, I think most people are guilty in getting set in their own ways. I know I need change to come along and give me a little kick in the ass to get me moving," added Nick.

"Listen, guys. I know where you're going, but I'm not going to change anything," said Sal, trying to make it clear, once again, that he wasn't interested. "I already told your friends we're getting by okay."

"Sal, with all due respect, if you fight for your limitations you get to keep them," Billy pointed out. "Do you hear yourself? You're getting by _okay_. Okay isn't good. Okay isn't great. Okay isn't fantastic!"

"Look, I don't want to get sideways with you. You're as big as a barn! Looks like he's carved out of a mountain, for goodness sakes!" said Nick. "But you're an _artist_! Okay. This is great pizza. Picasso with pepperoni!"

"And, hey. Stop it! Do not even get me started on this sauce. I mean, is there some nutmeg in there? Look, I can respect the fact that you don't want to divulge, but if I'm right don't say anything."

Sal, having no clue how to respond, gave an embarrassed grin, silently admitting that they were, in fact, right.

"Exactly!" exclaimed Billy, slapping the counter.

"_There's_ your answer," said Nick, pointing his finger at Sal to emphasize the point.

"Come on. All I'm saying is why should Papa John's make all the dough when Papa Sal's got the better sauce?"

"You know what," Sal spoke up, gaining all ears. "Now you're starting to sound like him." The older man motioned towards his son, a spark of hope in his boy's eyes. "He wants to open up a Sal's in Los Gatos."

"The bigger chains are killing us. We're barely staying afloat," said Sal's son, sharing his opinion.

"When your franchise loses quality, you lose the taste that people trust," argued Sal. Looking back at Billy and Nick, Sal began to further explain the reason why he preferred being local. "You want to know why my sauce is better? I'll tell you why. It's because I go down to the farmers market every day and buy them tomatoes myself. I walk down the street to get the basal, the oregano. Guys, I know these people. I'm a part of the fabric of this neighborhood. That's good enough for me."

"Sal, that's better than 'good enough'. That's the _best_," said Billy, awe and a new respect for Sal evident in his tone of voice and body posture. "I'm not suggesting that you abandon the neighborhood. All we're saying is what if your neighborhood got a little bit bigger?"

"Take a look at this." Nick slid his tablet so that Sal and his son could look at what was on the screen. "These are all just people who love your pizza."

"Talk about loyal customers, huh?" said Neha.

"Yeah, they're talking about you Sal. Don't you want to talk back?" asked Stuart.

"These people really care about you and what you do for them. About seventy-five percent of those comments are made up of praise about you, Sal. Praise about how you make them feel welcome, give them a place where they can rely on amazing customer service," added Sophia, nodding her head towards Nick's tablet.

Lyle turned his laptop around to face Sal as he said, "Did you know that there are almost as much people from Los Gatos searching for Sal's than in Palo Alto?"

"Yeah, and that they pop in when they're in town, but if there was a location closer to them they'd be regulars, right?" said Neha with a smile.

"Boom. Check it out. Found a great commercial spot right on Los Gatos Boulevard." Stuart placed his computer on the counter between Billy and Nick.

"That's point three miles away from the nearest farmers market. You can smell them tomatoes from your front door," said Yo-Yo.

"Farm to _table_!" Neha said.

"F to t, baby," chanted Lyle, his teammates joining in.

"See! F to t is exactly right!" exclaimed Billy, glad that their point was finally made well enough for Sal to at least consider. "We're not asking you to abandon the artistry. We're just asking you to expand the reach a little bit. Look, Sal. At the end of the day, the kids have their computers. They've got their information. It's all accurate. I get it, and I know you do, too. And let me tell you, Sal. I can't blame you for being a little afraid. We were scared, too. We were scared for a long time, grinding it out with our heads down. Heaven knows that I've fallen more than a time or two. But I promise you something: If you lift your head up, take a breath, there's a lot of great possibilities out there."

Nick pointed at Stuart's computer. "New customers, new franchise, and that's just the tip of the iceberg, Sal. It's all waiting at the click of a button."

When Sal still had a look of uncertainty, Billy tried one last time to reassure him that by agreeing to do this he'd have even more service than before. "Everybody's searching for something, Sal."

"They're searching for you. We just want to help them find you."

Silence filled the air as Sal sighed, looked at Billy with an you-better-be-right-about-this look, and gave his answer. "Alright. I'm in."

When Sal had finally agreed to do business with Google, Sophia gave him a smile. "Great. I'll get the paper work." Taking out the stapled sheets of paper out of her side bag, Sophia placed them and her blue feather plume pen in front of Sal. "It won't take long. I promise that you won't have to worry about unwanted strings and whatnot. Just sign your name and read to your heat's content."

Gripping the pen within his hand, Sal scanned over the sheets, signing his signature where it was required. When he was done, Sal placed the writing utensil on top of the paperwork and slid it back to Sophia.

Billy patted Sal's back.

"Before we go, I was wondering if you could do us a favor," said Nick as his team prepared to leave.

Sal and his son shared a quick and curious look.

"And what would that be?" he asked.

Nick gave Sal a small, mischievous smile. "Can we get about a dozen or so orders to go?"

* * *

**Happy Easter, everyone! Hope you had a good holiday today :) ****Thanks to those who've reviewed, favorited, and alerted _Noogler_. You, my dears, are as magical and mystical as a baby unicorn :)**

**~Edited 07/17/14~**


	9. Googliness

**Only two more chapters after this one, my dears. Enjoy it while it lasts. I know I am :)**

* * *

On the way back from Sal's, Team Lyle realized that they'd be a minute or two late. This led Billy to have the bright idea to make the 'best entrance since Braveheart led his fellow countrymen into battle' which led to him asking if Sophia knew that 'one website that allowed you to put pictures of your face on to dancing icons.'

"Ah, yeah. I do. Why?" she asked, wondering what he was trying to get at.

"Why, to make an entrance, of course," said Nick.

Typing in the address, Sophia told the others she'd found it once it was fully loaded. Holding up her phone, Sophia began taking shots of her friends' faces. After taking hers, Sophia got to work. Once finished, Sophia asked, "So what do you want me to do now?"

"This, Miss Sophia, is where Yo-Yo comes in," said Billy.

Sophia gave him a look before handing her phone to Yo-Yo.

"Alright, Yo-Yo, listen up. We're going to have to make an entrance so damn beautiful it'll make even Chetty cry."

"Okay. So what does that have to do with me?" Yo-Yo asked, not sure of what he was suppose to do.

"You, my friend, are going to crash the system so that the video Miss Sophia made appears on the screen," said Billy, clarifying what he wanted.

Yo-Yo didn't hesitate in giving his answer. "You've come to the right guy."

He finished three minutes before they reached Google.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

When Sophia and her team arrived, they could hear Mr. Chetty speaking to the large crowd, ready to announce the winner of the intern program. Billy gave a thumbs up, telling Yo-Yo to hit play. Yo-Yo didn't hesitate to hit the button to activate the dancing video they'd put together.

A moment of confusion passed between the occupants of the room as the giant screen, which displayed a slide show of photos taken throughout the summer, flickered out. In its place was the animated disco dancers Sophia had created, the song _What a Feeling _blaring out of the room's speakers.

Confusion soon turned into laughter and amusement. When Sophia and her group walked indoors with three boxes of Sal's pizza each, they began to roar with cheers of approval.

As they made their way up the aisle to the front, they passed out the boxes of pizza to each row.

When Sophia gave her boxes away, she did an Oprah ("You get a pizza!" Hand out a box. "You get a pizza!" Hand out another box. "You get a pizza!" Hand out another. "Everybody gets a pizza!" Arms flailing as people cheered). After being freed of the food, Sophia danced the rest of the way up the aisle, hip bumping Neha once she reached the front, dancing in place until the fun was put to an end by Mr. Chetty (shocker, right?).

"That's enough! That's enough!" said Mr. Chetty, hinting that it was time to end it.

Yo-Yo hit the stop button and returned the cell back to its rightful owner. Sophia quietly thanked her friend before putting it into the back pocket of her jeans. The screen immediately changed from disco dancers to a Google background made of colorful blocks.

"That's lovely theatrics, but the jig is up," called Graham from his seat, his face and hair now clean. "It's too late. Rules are rules, right, Chetty?"

"Yes, rules are rules," agreed Mr. Chetty.

Graham gave Sophia and her teammates a smug grin.

"_And _the rules state that every team has the right until the announcement is made to turn in their sales."

_Yes! _Sophia sent Graham a wink. _Eat that, douchebag._

"So, in spite of your lack in punctuality, which is _astounding_, I have no choice but to accept this submission and to recalculate," said Mr. Chetty, taking the paperwork that was taped on the pizza box Billy had given him.

_Heck_ _yes!_

Stuart and Sophia high-fived each other.

"Go ahead. Recalculate. One sale to a small, family owned pizza joint isn't going to make a difference, anyway," said Graham, annoyingly confident that he'd won the prize.

"It does seem that Mr. Hawtrey is correct, once again," said Mr. Chetty, flipping through the sheets Team Lyle had submitted.

"Boom!"

"The sales from one shop for the last challenge are not enough to put you in the lead."

_Ah, man. Really?_

"But, this is not _one_ shop," said Mr. Chetty, walking off of the stage he was on to stand in front of the late group of interns. "This is a blossoming franchise with endless possibilities, thanks to you. And what you've done as a team is connect to people, and connect those people to information." Mr. Chetty turned to address the crowd. "Which is what we _do_. And more than that, you have the courage to _dream_," said Mr Chetty, now looking at the outcasts. "In spite of your obvious and astonishing limitations, you never gave up on that dream. So, ladies and gentlemen-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," interrupted Graham. Having none of what was about to happen, he got out of his seat and walked on over to the huddled group of people. "Hold on, Chetty. No offense, you're a glorified babysitter."

"Excuse me-"

"Stop it, freak, before you further embarrass yourself."

Sophia kept her mouth shut but gave him an are-you-for-real look. _She _wasn't the one making a fool of herself. It was Graham who kept digging a deeper hole for himself.

"Let's get somebody up here who actually means something."

"I'm right here!" called a voice from the audience, all eyes now on him.

Graham's face fell once he realized who'd actually spoken. "Terrific," he said, voice heavy with sarcasm as the man who'd spoken got up from his seat and walked to the front of the room until he was standing in front of Graham.

Sophia tilted her head. He looked so familiar. Had she seen him before? And that's when it hit her. It was the man who'd sat at the table with Billy, Nick, and she the day of the bug challenge. It was Headphones.

"Graham. Please meet Mr. Anderson," said Mr. Chetty.

"You know this guy?" asked Billy.

"Actually, I do. Andrew here is the head of Search. A rather important position here at Google."

Having heard these words, Graham's face switched from disgust to deer in headlights. "Sir, it's an honor. An honor," he stuttered out, trying to avoid making eye contact with Mr. Anderson.

"Look at you, Headphones. A little mystery behind the boy," said Billy, amused with how the situation was playing out.

"How. . . how do you know him?" Graham asked Billy as Mr. Anderson and Mr. Chetty fist bumped each other.

"We were encouraged to reach out to experienced Googlers. Pretty simple. Not a big mystery," said Nick.

"To reach _out _to other Googlers, not just kiss their asses," further explained Mr. Anderson. "You see, these interns are smart, collaborative, pretty, and just weird enough to make them interesting. Also, they came together as a team to do something here. Their Googliness is certainly off the charts."

Sophia draped her arms across Neha and Yo-Yo's shoulders, the head's words making her feel absolutely amazing.

Graham, not impressed, rubbed his hands across his face as he whined, "Oh, my goodness. Stop with the Googliness. What does that even _mean_?"

Mr. Anderson's simple reply to Graham's question was, "The fact that you don't know what it means is why you will never work here. Also." Mr. Anderson stepped into Graham's personal space. "You just made me use a bunch of words in front of a ton of people. Look at me. You're a real dick for doing that. Look at me again," demanded Mr. Anderson when Graham tried to get away. "And I know your accent's bullcrap. What?!" And with that, Mr. Anderson turned and left.

Mr. Chetty, amused with what had just went down, turned his attention back on Team Lyle. "So," he said, letting them hang for a heartbeat before saying, "Welcome to Google."

The crowd erupted into cheers as the former interns let the news sink in, letting their excitement out in their own ways.

Sophia and Neha squealed and hugged each other tightly, swaying back and forth as they did so. Releasing each other, Sophia wrapped her arms around Nick, him doing the same. When she was done, she turned, sight set on a very excited and energized Stuart. Sophia smiled, arms spread out for a hug. "We did it. We actually-"

Stuart, who was caught up in the moment, bent down placed both of his large hands on either side of her head, and kissed her. His friend, who'd expected a hug, froze, arms still out, eyes wide in shock. Realizing what he'd done, Stuart's eyes shot open as he jolted upright, embarrassed by his impulsive decision. "I, ah, didn't, um. Yeah," he stuttered out, hand rubbing the back of his head, gaze shifting across the floor.

Sophia, after gaining her senses, shook her head, placed a hand under his chin, and positioned his face so he was looking down at her. Before he could say anything else, Sophia connected their lips, breaking apart a second later. Stuart could only stare at Sophia, as she did the same.

Taking this as permission, Stuart brought her body closer to his, placing a hand on the small of her back, the other on the side of her face while Sophia put her arms on top of his shoulders. They then tried kiss number three.

* * *

**~Edited 07/17/14~**


	10. It's a Long Story

It was so unreal. Sophia was _actually_ packing up to go home. The intern program was _finally_ over. She didn't want it to be over so soon. Three and a half months was too short of a time. Why couldn't it be just another month longer? Oh, right. She had a life and college to return to.

As great as Salem and OU was, they didn't have what Google had provided her these past few months.

So, in order to stall, Sophia turned on her TV, flipping through the channels until something caught her eye. She sat down on her bed, back resting against the headboard, legs spread out in front of her, remote resting beside her upper thigh.

Two hours into her I'm Going to Keep the Summer From Ending party, Sophia heard a knock on the door. The twenty-one-year-old groaned as she bounced off of her bed. Opening the door, Sophia found Stuart standing in front of her.

"Hey. Can I come in?" he asked.

"What are you, a vampire?" she teased, stepping aside so he could enter her one-room apartment. "Sorry for the mess. I'm having some packing issues," Sophia said, referring to the piles of junk spread across the room, large suitcase open (it reminded Sophia of a giant, man-eating monster).

"Is there a tornado that I need to be worried about?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny. No. Like I said. I'm having some packing issues." After plopping back down on top of her bed, Sophia asked, "So, what's up, bra?" Sophia patted the spot next to her, inviting him to sit down.

"I, ah, just wanted to stop on by and see how you're doing," Stuart said, accepting Sophia's invitation.

"Oh, I'm doing just fine. I've got a chocolate bar, my last bottle of water, and Disney's _Flubber _to keep me company during the wee hours of the night. How about you? How are you doing, Stuart?"

"Fine, I guess. It's just. . . ."

"Yeah?" Sophia asked when he drifted off mid-sentence.

"It's just. . . ." Stuart sighed and glanced at the ground. "That kiss that we shared earlier."

Memories of hers and Stuart's kiss came flooding back into the front of Sophia's mind. "Yeah. What about it?"

"Was it. . . . Did we. . . . Are we ever going to take it somewhere else?" asked Stuart.

Sophia muted the television's audio. "It depends on what you mean by 'somewhere else', Stuart."

"What?! No. I didn't. I didn't mean it _that _way. I mean, unless you want to. . . . No. What I meant was. . . . Ugh!" Stuart dropped his head in his palms.

Sophia, unsure of what to do, silently watched Stuart until he was able to regather his thoughts. Finally, after what felt like hours, Stuart mumbled something.

"Huh? What was that? I can't hear you."

"I said," said Stuart, looking Sophia in the eye. "'Do you want to try dating?'"

Sophia's eyes widened at his question. Her and Stuart? Dating? Was she really hearing him correctly? Oh, goodness. She had. It was clear in his hopeful gaze. It wasn't like dating was a whole new world to her. Sophia had dated a couple of times over the past three or four years. It was just the part where if she accepted his offer to date that it would be long-distance. It would be hard not being able to see him every day or not able to be with him in the flesh. But that was what Skype and weekend visits were for, right? Besides, it could be a lot worse. Stuart could be attending Oxford instead of Brown (which was still extremely far from Oregon, but still, it could be worse).

Bringing herself back in, Sophia gave her answer. "Well, after what happened between us today, I would think we'd try this dating thing."

"Really? You'll try it?" asked Stuart.

"Um. . . . Yeah? Didn't you hear me? Besides, you're too adorkable to pass up," said Sophia, pinching one of his cheeks between two of her fingers.

"Of course I did. I was just checking to make sure I'd heard you right or not."

"Going deaf, old man?" chuckled Sophia. She knew as soon as she said it she'd regret saying it.

A mischievous look came over Stuart. He then pinned Sophia down on her bed. "Wait? What's that? I couldn't hear you."

"Nothing, I said nothing," she squeaked.

"Thought so."

Sophia noticed that something had caught Stuart's eye. Reaching his hand out, he grabbed the picture frame that sat on the left nightstand. He let go of Sophia so he could lean against the headrest, frame in his hold.

"That's my favorite picture of my brother and I," said Sophia, settling in the spot next to Stuart. "That waterfall was our favorite place to go to. We basically spent a majority of our childhood there."

"You're a blonde?" asked Stuart, still looking at the photo.

"Really? That's all you got from it?"

Stuart rolled his eyes. "Yeah. The only thing I'm actually interested in is your natural hair color."

Sophia shoved her boyfriend. "Sarcasm fits you well, asshole."

"How old were you two?"

"Nine and twelve," Sophia said, knowing everything about the picture by heart. "I'd say that we both look ridiculous, but Drake was, like, a god or demigod of some sort. He always seemed to find a way to look great in every freakin' photo he was in."

"You look a lot like him."

A snort escaped Sophia.

"No. Really, you do. See." Stuart held the photo between them so he could show her what he meant. "You both obviously have the same sandy-blonde hair shade and blue eyes. But then there's the less noticeable stuff, like how both of you have full lips, the same chin, and the same nose."

Sophia knew Stuart was trying to be nice, that he actually meant what he said, but it still didn't change her view on how dissimilar she was from Drake. If anything, they were even totally different in the personality department. Drake had always been the more patient of the two, the kinder one, the less impulsive. He was the better of the two of them. He always would be.

After putting the picture frame back in its place, Stuart looked at Sophia. "Do you need any help packing?"

"Do I need any help? Stuart. Dude. I'm almost _done_ packing."

Looking at the sea of clothes and possessions lying around the room, Stuart said, "Yeah. No. You're far from being packed."

"I didn't mean _physically_, Stuart. I meant I was packed _mentally_," Sophia corrected him.

"Ah, no. Knowing you, you're not."

"Yeah. You're right. I'm not. I'm actually stalling. Not ready for the summer to be over," admitted Sophia with a sigh.

"Yeah. Me, too."

"So, does that mean you're just as behind as I am?" asked Sophia.

"No. I actually finished about thirty minutes ago."

Sophia narrowed her eyes into stony slits. "Damn you men and your ability to travel light."

Stuart couldn't help but laugh, Sophia soon joining him.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

"Have a great senior year, guys. We'll keep your desk chairs warm for you," said Lyle as the former team said their good-byes. He held out his fist, a small grin on his face. "Team Lyle?"

"Yeah, Team Lyle," said Billy, bringing his fist into the center, the others following suit.

Waking up only an hour ago was one of the hardest things Sophia ever had to do. Yesterday evening was easy in comparison to today. Neha actually had to drag Sophia away from her old apartment. Needless to say, it took a bit more of an effort on Neha's part to get them to the elevator.

As Team Lyle huddled in for a group hug a woman yelled, "Yo-Yo! Come, now!"

Looking at who could be no one else but Yo-Yo's mother, Yo-Yo calmly answered, "Mom. I need a minute."

His mother, having none of it, began shouting at him in a different language that only Yo-Yo and she understood.

"_Mom_," he said in a firm tone of voice. "I'm saying good-bye to my friends. _I'm_ _taking a minute_. Okay?"

Stunned by her son's words, Yo-Yo's mom nodded her head. In the driver's seat, Yo-Yo's dad gave him a cheek-to-cheek smile, holding one of his thumbs up in approval. Yo-Yo's friends, who were just as surprised by how he'd stood up for himself, turned to him, happy for Yo-Yo.

"Wow, look at you, Yo-Yo. You grew an eyebrow," said Sophia, nudging her friend.

Yo-Yo gave a bashful smile at his friends' praise as the group came in for one last hug.

"Alright, you riff rafts. Get out of here, see you down the road," said Billy, breaking it up.

"Yeah. Just remember us as you're stuck at a desk for eight to twelve hours a day," said Sophia, giving Billy and Nick another hug.

Unlike the rest of them, who needed to finish their last year of college, Billy and Nick would begin working the following day.

"Will do, Miss Sophia," vowed Billy, using the nickname he'd come up with for her.

With that, they all parted ways. Sophia, Neha, and Stuart were to ride the Google bus to the airport before flying back home while Yo-Yo was to ride with his parents. As the trio walked to the bus, Neha said, "You two don't be strangers. Shoot me a text sometime, alright?"

"Forget that. We're coming to see you in person," said Stuart.

Neha's eyes lit up. "Yeah. I'd like that. So, are you two a thing now?" asked their friend.

Sophia and Stuart looked at each other, wondering who should speak. "Yeah," Sophia finally said with a beaming smile. "Yeah. We are."

"Hey, guys! I grew a pair of balls today! Did you see them?" said Yo-Yo, interrupting the conversation from going any further.

"Hecks yeah we did," said Sophia.

"You did grow a pair of balls," agreed Stuart.

"Yeah! It was amazing!" exclaimed Neha.

"They're touching my ankles," Yo-Yo declared, proudly.

"Okay. We probably didn't need to hear that," said Stuart as he put his suitcase with the others.

~N~O~O~G~L~E~R~

On the bus, the three friends stayed close, never parting and never ceasing conversation until they reached the airport. Since they were all going in different directions, they sadly had to part. The first stop the bus made was Sophia's. A lump had risen in the young woman's throat, knowing that she didn't have much time to get off.

Before she got up, Sophia pecked Stuart on the lips, grabbed her side bag, and gave Neha a quick hug before rushing outside to grab her suitcase. Just before she entered her stop, she waved in her friends' general direction, knowing that only they could see her. She stood where she was until the Google bus drove away.

Once Sophia had gotten through the first two stages, she made a beeline for her gate, claiming a seat before anyone else could take it. She knew that she had another hour or so until they'd start boarding. Sophia knew she should get some food, use the bathroom, buy a book, but she didn't. Instead, she remained where she was. A few minutes in, Sophia remembered the promise she made her mother.

Slipping her cellphone out of her hoodie's pocket, Sophia speed dialed her mother's cell. After four rings, her mom picked up. "_Hello?"_

Sophia couldn't help but smile. It was nice to hear her mother's voice again, even though it had only been a week since they'd last talked. "Hi, Mom. I'm at the airport."

_"Oh, Sophia, darling! How are you? How was the program?"_ Mom asked in a rush.

Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Are you busy? I can call back later if you-"

_"No! No, I'm not. I'm free. I was just. . . . Ah, never mind. It's not important."_

"Mom. I know you. You were doing something." Sophia's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, my gosh. You're doing-"

_"Shh! Don't say it in front of everyone! But, if you really want to know, yes. I was doing 'that thing', as you like to call it."_

"Mom. You seriously need to stop doing that. It can only get you so far."

_"Well, your father's not home, and I'm out of practice, so I figured 'why not'?"_

"You seriously need to get rid of it."

_"Nonsense! Your father loves it when I-"_

"Okay, ew. Mom. Stop it. You're going to give me nightmares for the rest of the week."

Her mom chuckled. "_Now, as much as I love emotionally scarring you for life, I'd like to move on to something better. How was Google?"_

Oh, my goodness. There was just too much to describe and so little time to share it. Millions of thoughts and stories ran through Sophia's head as she tried to figure out where to start. Eventually, she came up with, "I don't know where to start. Besides, it's a long story, anyway."

Sophia could see the smile on her mother's face as she said, _"Good thing you've got an hour to kill."_

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**~Edited 07/17/14~**


	11. Epilouge

**So, we have finally arrived. The last chapter. **

**I'd like to say a quick thank you to all who have fallen in love with Sophia's story. You've helped this story become what it is today. I smiled like a maniac every time I logged on to my FanFiction account and learned that some one left a review or followed or favorited _Noogler_. ****I never thought in a million years that anyone would even look at this story. You've all surprised me by giving _Noogler _the love it has received. **

**I originally wrote this months ago, maybe even a year or so ago. I was bored and thought up Sophia's character, which led me to write the first half of _Noogler_'s original draft. It was only an idea, and yet I found myself thinking about _Noogler _again after months of abandonment. So I took the opportunity to sit down and allow myself to get lost in the story. **

**The main reason why I even considered picking up where I left off was because I needed a writing exercise to help me get my muse back, and my gosh, it worked. The more I learned about Sophia's character, the more I fell in love with her story. I just had to share it with the world.**

**I hope that all of you have fallen in love in with Sophia and her story as much as I have. And I hope you've enjoyed this crazy ride we've been on for the past week and a half. It's been a blast, guys.**

**Thank you, for everything :)**

**And now, I give you the final chapter of _Noogler. _****Enjoy!**

* * *

**~Nine Months Later~**

An old, yellow slug bug pulled up into its assigned parking space. The faint hum of a bass came to an abrupt halt when its owner shut the car's engine off. Almost thirty seconds later, the door squeaked open, revealing a young woman around twenty-two years of age. As she got out of her seat, she slung her Superman side bag across her shoulder and closed the door, locking it with her key before heading towards Google's main building.

While she walked with a slight bounce to her step, she couldn't help but feel the same awe she'd felt the first time she set foot here.

Finally, she entered the building, the grey slide she'd enjoyed using still the same as ever, the plane still hanging from the ceiling. People were busy hustling and bustling about - some on scooter and some on foot. It was like she'd never left at all.

As much as she admired the view, the first place she went was the little café (she was in major need of some caffeine). The only difference about it this time was that the boy who'd served her on her first day wasn't standing behind the counter. Instead, it was a girl a few years older than her. After placing and receiving her order, the young woman began the journey to the place her friends had told her to go to. She hadn't seen any of them live and in the flesh for months. It was a wonderful thought, being able to physically be in the same room instead of spiritually over the phone or computer.

Once she reached her destination, a feeling of comfort overcame her. The room she and her team of ex-interns use to meet up in looked basically the same. It was like she'd only been there yesterday.

Automatically walking towards her usual spot, she was pleased to find that there was no more than two pillows on the couch. Seeing that her friends remembered this weird quirk of hers touched her.

Sitting down, she leaned back against the couch, posture resembling that of a man's. As she began to sip her coffee, the first three people arrived. At the sight of her friends, she placed her drink on the ground, stood up, and said, "Billy! Nick! Lyle!"

Billy and Nick looked the same as she'd last seen them. Lyle, however, was now sporting the beginnings of a beard.

"Miss Sophia!" said Billy picking the woman up in a tight hug. "How have you been?" Putting her down, Billy noticed the one thing that was different about her. "Hey. You dyed your hair a different color."

"Actually, this _is _my natural hair color," said Sophia, taking a lock of her hair. "It doesn't look bad, does it?"

"No. It looks good. It fits you well," said Nick grabbing his young friend in an embrace. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too, Nick."

Turning to Lyle, Sophia opened her arms. "Come here, Lyle. Give me a hug."

After this, the three shifted into casual conversation.

"So, how was the move?" Sophia asked Billy, referring to him moving in with his girlfriend of eight months, April.

"Good, actually. We're both adjusting, but it's only been a week. We've got the rest of our relationship to get use to each other."

Lyle and Nick also gave an update on their dating life. Nick and Dana were still going strong and steady, and Lyle and his girlfriend, Marielena (a.k.a. Saffron) were doing about the same. When asked how she and Stuart were doing, Sophia said that they were doing great.

Soon after, Yo-Yo and Neha arrived. At the sight of her friend and best friend, Sophia ran up to them, squealing when she and Neha met in an embrace.

"You cut your hair," said Sophia, pointing at the chin-length cut Neha now wore.

"You dyed your hair."

"Undyed, actually. What you see is all natural."

Yo-Yo looked good. Other than the confidence he now owned, he was pretty much the same. Before they could get into anything else, Stuart arrived, wearing his usual beanie, handsome as ever.

Sophia gave a sly smile as she slid up to her boyfriend. "Hey, you. How are you?" asked Sophia, laying her arms on his shoulders.

"You changed your hair color," said Stuart, even though he already knew she'd undyed it.

"Mm-hm. Thought I'd try my blonde locks again. You like it?"

"Ah, yeah. Why wouldn't I?"

"You're just saying it to be nice," said Sophia, rolling her eyes.

"No. I do. Really."

Sophia gave him a quick peck. "Good. I'm glad."

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke the two apart. Letting go of Stuart, Sophia gave an embarrassed smile. She could see the amused look on Neha from the corner of her eye.

"As much as I'm glad you two love birds are enjoying each others company, I'm going to have to remind you that we're here. Your friends who care about you and have missed you for the past few months," said Nick with a small smile, humor dancing in his eyes.

"Oh, we weren't forgetting about you," said Stuart, arm draped across Sophia's shoulders.

"We were just pretending that none of you existed," finished Sophia, sending a playful wink their friends' way.

Lyle, after giving a light laugh, clapped his hands together. "Alright. You guys ready to start?"

"Lyle, are you kidding? We've been ready since the beginning of last year's internship program," said Sophia, the others agreeing with her.

"Well, then. Let's get this party started, yo." Brining his fist forward, Lyle smiled and asked, "Team Lyle?"

The others shared a look, smiling as they placed their hands in the center of the circle.

"Team Lyle," said Nick.

"Team Lyle," echoed Billy.

"Team Lyle!" shouted Yo-Yo.

"Team Lyle!" the former interns yelled in unison, wrapping each other in an embrace before breaking apart.

"Alrighty, then," said Billy. "Let's get this show on the road. Lyle, lead the way."

Lyle nodded his head, telling them to follow.

As they began to file out of the room, Sophia couldn't help but smile. They'd come a long way since their rocky beginning. At first, they'd despised each other, refused to acknowledge the others' existence. Sophia didn't think that they'd ever be this close. And now, here they were, one year later, best friends and full-time employees of Google.

Sophia glanced down at Stuart's hand and gripped it in hers.

If you told Sophia two years ago that she'd be in this exact moment, that she'd apply as a Google intern which then led to a job at said place, she would have laughed, shook her head, and said, 'Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen.' But here she was, walking to her future, holding the hand of a boy whom she truly cared about who returned her feelings, surrounded by the most amazing friends anyone could ever ask for.

And she wouldn't change a single thing.

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**Feel free to leave a review and/or a PM. I'd love to hear from you :)**

**~Edited 07/17/14~**


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